Francis Bacon and the Seventeenth-Century Intellectual Discourse

This book explores the resistance of three English poets to Francis Bacon's project to restore humanity to Adamic mastery over nature, moving beyond a discussion of the tension between Bacon and these poetic voices to suggest theywere also debating the narrative of humanity's intellectual path.

"Francis Bacon and the Seventeenth-Century Intellectual Discourse provides new insight on the Baconian debates by examining the works of Donne, Marvell, and Rochester as resistance to Bacon s theory of scientific progression. With sharp, close readings, Funari persuasively demonstrates the argumentative power of seventeenth-century poetry as a counter narrative to what would become the dominant ideology of Western science." - Amy L. Tigner, assistant professor of English, University of Texas, Arlington "A fascinating, well-argued comparison between Francis Bacon's narrative of recovering human dominion over nature and seventeenth-century skeptics who deny its possibility. Funari draws insightful parallels with today's proponents of technological solutions and environmental philosophers who propose new ways of living with the more-than-human world. Of interest to anyone who wishes to see how history and literature can inform the roots of today's environmental crisis." - Carolyn Merchant, professor, University of California, Berkeley and author of The Death of Nature and Reinventing Eden "An original and interesting approach to the clash of cultures - the established literary world reacting against the rise of the scientific worldview - this book raises intriguing questions for anyone studying early modern thought." - Linda Anderson, professor of English, Virginia Tech, and author of A Place in the Story: Servants and Service in Shakespeare's Plays

ANTHONY FUNARI Assistant Professor atJohnson Community College, USA.