GREENVILLE, Pa.—Thiel College Professor of English
The review appeared in the summer 2017 edition of Sixteenth Century Journal: The Journal of Early Modern Studies. Since its inception in 1969, the journal publishes about 25 articles and more than 400 book reviews each year.
According to Hall, Tosh’s book highlights the scholarship of amicitia studies by placing Elizabethan spy Anthony Bacon at the center of a set of relationships that blended classical notions of friendship with the social bonds and shared obligations of four other significant 16th-century historical figures. In a set of letters, Tosh exemplifies how “same-sex contact between men was part of the fabric of everyday life” during the Renaissance period and that “friendship spaces” were considered a normal part of early modern English culture.
A case-study approach incorporates the reader into the intricacies of amicitia perfecta and its crucial role in the personal and professional lives of late 16th-century men. The book grounds the Renaissance notion of friendship in Cicero’s dialogue-essay tradition De Amicitia and in Shakespeare’s early sonnets that validate the significance of personal and professional friendship spaces, Hall said.
Hall has taught at Thiel since 1999. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and secondary certification in English and French from Seton Hill University; a master’s in literature from Carnegie Mellon University; and a doctorate from Duquesne University.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.