"For almost twenty years, new historicism has been a highly controversial and influential force in literary and cultural studies. In Practicing New Historicism, two of its most distinguished practitioners reflect on its surprisingly disparate sources and far-reaching effects.". "In lucid and jargon-free prose, Catherine Gallagher and Stephen Greenblatt focus on five central aspects of new historicism: recurrent use of anecdotes, preoccupation with the nature of representations, fascination with the history of the body, sharp focus on neglected details, and skeptical analysis of ideology."--BOOK JACKET.