Resource Post 7

Today I would like to talk about another primary source related to to my research topic: Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

In these Chronicles, Holinshed undertakes the compilation and construction of a comprehensive history of the British isles. These entries date back as early as 1066 (the date of the Norman invasion of England by William I). Fairly straightforward, really, if also incredibly lengthy. However, if you are working with the history of Britain at all, it may be worth looking at Holinshed's Chronicles in order to get a (perhaps alternative) view regarding a good many historical events. I myself am using the Chronicles for its description of the murder of Arden of Faversham by his wife. The events of this murder are retold in several other places besides the Chronicles, but Holinshed's work provides the most well-known (and perhaps the most closely documented) account of the murder and the events leading up to and after it. I will be comparing this account with the account provided in the play Arden of Faversham, particularly noting how the character Franklin from the play is not named in Holinshed's Chronicles (since part of my argument is that Franklin's introduction to the play is significant in that he and Arden share the bond of male friendship, in the idealized early modern sense).

One thing that I noticed when looking for access to Holinshed's Chronicles is that it was incredibly hard to get a hold of a copy (or, more accurately, copies--the work has several volumes). As such, I would like point you towards a resource that will allow you full access to the entirety of the Chronicles from the comfort of your own living room: The Holinshed Project (click for link). Researchers from the University of Oxford have created this online version of both the 1577 and 1587 editions of the Chronicles, which is fully searchable and contains image links to EEBO (Early English Books Online--you must have an account to view these images). This is a wonderful resource for Holinshed's Chronicles, as it is very easy to navigate and is hosted by a trustworthy source (the day the University of Oxford becomes an unworthy source is a noteworthy day, indeed). Thus, if you're at all interested in Holinshed's Chronicles (or even if you're not but need to check it our for your own research), I would definitely recommend that you make use of U of Oxford's very helpful resource.

One more post, and then I'll see you all tomorrow.