In addition to the texts cited in this very interesting query, I would recommend looking into
George Chapman's pair of 'Orphic' hymns, 'The Shadow of Night,' along with his play, 'Bussy
D'Ambois.'
Regarding Spenser, I think first of all of Errour, whose blood is 'cole black,' which suggests
printer's ink (FQ I i 24.9); her vomit, of course, is 'full of bookes and papers' as well as blind
creatures associated with darkness (st. 20).
Where clothing and fashion are concerned, cultural codes are of course to be considered, but I
think the materials and techniques involved in dyeing must have played some role. Perhaps it
was the case that cloth dyed black held its color more uniformly and for a longer time than
something brighter -- and of course stains wouldn't show so readily. It also occurs to me that
black might 'set off' jewels and other light-catching ornaments more effectively than a gaudy
fabric, and provide a dramatic contrast to pale flesh. Consider Una in this light.
Cheers, Jon Quitslund
> Dear listmembers,
>
> I am interested in the different ways in which blackness was perceived in
> the 16thC.
>
> I have noted the following uses:
>
> 1. To denote the macabre / supernatural. Death, Hell, Fiends, etc. (as in
> the Fairie Queene).
> 2. To denote a bleaching agent used in the preparation of leather (OED)
> 3. To denote the presence of divine light (as a Metaphysical conceit, which
> draws on a Byzantine spiritual convention e.g. Herbert's Sonnet of Black
> Beauty)
> 4. To denote an inversion of values (in Barnfield's Affectionate Shepheard
> and perhaps Jonson's Masque of Blackness, though the approach is different
> in
> each of these)
>
> Thoughts on the above uses and any comments you may have would be very
> welcome.
> My context is the examination of possible subtexts in the use of black in
> fashion and embroidery during the period.
> Any suggestions of other possible avenues of exploration would be gratefully
> received.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Leon Conrad
> London, UK
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