16th Century

16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, Collection Essays

The World of Don Quixote

Map of Spain with men and women of various states and stations bordering the main image.

How did Cervantes’ Don Quixote respond to the social conditions and literary traditions of early modern Spain?

Hana Layson and Glen Carman
October 23, 2013

16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, Collection Essays

Maps and the Beginnings of Colonial North America

What can maps tell us about how people from different times, places, and cultures make sense of their world? How did maps and mapmaking influence the development of colonial North America?

Neal Dugre
September 1, 2013

16th Century, 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, Collection Essays

Shakespeare’s Romans: Politics and Ethics in Julius Caesar and Coriolanus

What is the context for Shakespeare’s Roman plays? What were his sources? Why did classical Rome capture the interest of people in Renaissance England?

Hana Layson with Amelia Zurcher, revised by Dr. William Casey Caldwell
October 17, 2012