Queen Anna’s New World of Words embraces nearly 74,000 definitions. Not only was the volume almost twice larger than its predecessor, containing about 75.000 definitions, but in the preparing of it he had consulted 249 books of which one-fifth appeared on the Index of prohibited books as against 72 listed in the World of Words, most of which belonging to the XVIIth century. In this analysis, Jackie Watson explores Florio’s work in three ways.

“Firstly, I plan to look at the text, particularly its opening pages, as a visual object –with some trepidation in this company –and to draw some tentative conclusions that we may well discuss further after the paper. Secondly, on slightly firmer ground, as it connects more closely to my own research methods, I shall begin to explore what clues the text offers to the networks of contact and patronage, courtly and literary, in which it is situated. Finally, prompted by the range of languages used in the text, I shall begin to question Jacobean attitudes and look a little more closely at the effects of this in the prefatory material to this text.”

Queen Anna’s New World of Words – Author: Jackie Watson | Language: English