The Crescent and the Rose: Annotated Bibliography

“The Crescent and the Rose” by Samuel C. Chew is referenced as the first book reviewing the influence of Islam and Muslims in early modern English.

Roslyn Knutson and The Crescent and the Rose     

The article by Roslyn Knutson explores Elizabethan documents and their portrayal of the capture and trade activities during the Elizabethan age with the Turks. Knutson primarily relies on Elizabethan documents, particularly plays. She cites Chew in her argument, asserting that an ordinary man’s life has minimal impact on the distant events of captivity narratives. Knutson contends that the evidence presented by Chew indicates the public maintained a fanciful view of the Turks, associating them with “violent cruelties and dark sensualities” (qtd. 549). This perception remains consistent throughout her research.

Barbara Fuchs and Roslyn Knutson and The Crescent and the Rose

While Barbara Fuchs references Chew’s book concerning the depiction of Muslims, particularly Turks and non-Turks Moors, she provides additional insight into the Muslim conquests and the perceived threat that England felt during that period. In her analysis of “The Tempest,” she asserts that the negative portrayal of Muslims, including the depiction of Muslim effeminate characters, was influenced by the perceived greatness of the Ottoman Empire (p. 56-59).      

Vitkus and The Cresent and the Rose 

Daniel Vitkus’s research underscores the prevalence of the Turkish empire’s influence in England during the early modern period. He references Samuel Chew regarding English anxiety about the Turks and their perceived ability to convert Christians to Islam (p. 150). Additionally, Vitkus draws on other sources to demonstrate how Muslims, particularly Turks, were portrayed as “violent, arbitrary, and merciless tyrants” (p. 171). These representations not only depicted them as “misguided” but also prone to “despotism” (p. 171).

Johnson and The Crescent and the Rose          

Galen Johnson’s research focuses on “Divine Comedy,” “Piers Plowman,” and “The Canterbury Tales,” relying on Chew’s “The Crescent and the Rose” as an authoritative source to trace the impacts of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Islam. Johnson, discussing Chew’s argument, expresses the viewpoint that Chew believes the church played a significant role in disseminating the initial image of Islam and the Prophet, later popularized by neo-ecclesiastical writers (p. 335). This dissemination involved distorting names and employing negative terms such as fake, ignoble, luscious characters, cunning, and violent features to describe Islam (p. 335).

Orkin and The Crescent and the Rose          

The introduction to the book “Post-Colonial Shakespeares,” co-authored by Ania Loomba and Martin Orkin, argues that the ideas propagated by Shakespeare about distant lands played a role in the colonial expansion during the Elizabethan period. They cite Chew, who examines the “views and representations of Islam in Elizabeth and Jacobean England,” suggesting a significant impact on the government of that time (p. 4). However, in their post-colonial argument, Loomba and Orkin focus specifically on the representation of Muslims in Shakespeare to illustrate the perceived inferiority of oriental civilization. This portrayal, according to them, contributed to England imposing its “value system” during the subsequent colonization (p. 7).

Wilson and The Crescent and the Rose 

Mary Floyd-Wilson, in her review of Renaissance English literature, explores the presentation and representation of Moors and the question of race. She references Samuel Chew, noting that current discussions about race and gender often draw inspiration from earlier investigations characterized as “uncertain narratives” of conversions and assimilations (p. 1048). Floyd-Wilson further highlights that the attribution of blackness to Moors in Elizabethan and Jacobean literature is a result of the saturation of “gender and racial politics” (p. 1047). Notably, her review focuses on academic literature and doesn’t specifically address the expletives used for Muslims in that literary context.

Marshal and The Crescent and the Rose          

Louise H. Marshal, in the fifth chapter of the book “National Myth and Imperial Fantasy” titled “Turks, Christians and Imperial Fantasy,” cites Chew to emphasize that foreign soils, characters, and religions were represented in Elizabethan plays to exploit the situation and establish “Britain’s self-image of Protestant Superiority” (p. 142). The plays from the Elizabethan era often depict Muslims as Moors, Turks, and Saracens, equating them with “distorted demons” (p. 143), cruel, lascivious, pagan tyrants, and other grotesque stock characters, serving various political, doctrinal, and pecuniary causes (p. 143). Marshal links these representations to Chew, who conducted an exhaustive study of topical resources such as tales, travelogues, and diaries of preachers.

Hossein Pirnajmuddin’s article explores how Milton prejudicially paints Satan’s reception in Turkish colors, indicating the influence of oriental, Turkish, or Persian elements in his writing (p. 68). While not directly referring to Chew, Pirnajmuddin includes a footnote about him, attributing allusions from Persian and Turkish lands. The article traces how Milton’s negative portrayal of Satanic forces is influenced by the local presentation of Islam in his county.

In Gerald MacLean’s article “Milton Among the Muslims,” published in the book edited by Matthew Dimmock and Andrew Hadfield, MacLean provides a contrapuntal or reverse view of the orient from the occident. MacLean explores various oriental texts to understand how the East perceives Milton. In this context, he cites Chew for presenting the occidental view of how Milton incorporated the East in his epic, using “exotic metaphors, images” with Christian associations (p. 180-182).

Justine Kolb, in her article, references Chew while reviewing “The Faerie Queene” by Spenser and “Tamburlaine” by Dr. Faustus. She acknowledges Chew’s insights into the representation of Islam and Muslims in early poems and plays. Although not delving into all the monstrosities often attributed to Muslims in drama, Kolb highlights the romantic and behavioral traits, portraying some positivity and courage among them (p. 192-193).

Fahd Mohammed Taleb Al-Olaqi’s research sheds light on the portrayal of Sultan Soliman, the Magnificent, in Thomas Kyd’s play, “The Tragedy of Soliman and Perseda.” Al-Olaqi argues that while Elizabethan stereotypes of Muslims, particularly Turks, persisted, Kyd presented Sultan Soliman as an immodest king, seducer, lusty, and tyrant. In his analysis, Al-Olaqi references Chew’s work as a significant source that brings some positivity to the understanding of the subject.

References: The Cresent and the Rose       

1. Al-Olaqi, F. M. T. (2013). The Oriental Other: Soliman the Magnificent in Kyd’s Soliman and Perseda. Trames, 17(1), 35-54.
2. Floyd‐Wilson, M. (2006). Moors, Race, and the Study of English Renaissance Literature: A Brief Retrospective. Literature Compass, 3(5), 1044-1052.
3. Fuchs, B. (1997). Conquering Islands: Contextualizing The Tempest. Shakespeare Quarterly, 48(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.2307/2871400.
4. Johnson, G. (2000). Muhammad And Ideology in Medieval Christian Literature. Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, 11(3), 333-346.
5. Knutson, R. L. (1996). Elizabethan Documents, Captivity Narratives, and the Market for Foreign History Plays. English Literary Renaissance, 26(1), 75-110.
6. Loomba, A., & Orkin, M. (2003). Introduction: Shakespeare and the post-colonial question. In Post-Colonial Shakespeares (pp. 13-32). Routledge.
7. Kolb, J. (2009). “In th’ armor of a Pagan knight’: Romance and Anachronism East of England in Book V of ‘The Faerie Queene’ and ‘Tamburlaine.’ Early Theatre, 12(2), 194–207. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43500644
8. MacLean G. (2008) Milton among the Muslims. In: Dimmock M., Hadfield A. (eds) The Religions of the Book. Early Modern Literature in History. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230582576_9
9. Marshall, L. H. (2008). Turks, Christians, and Imperial Fantasy. In National Myth and Imperial Fantasy (pp. 142-179). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
10. Pirnajmuddin, H. (2008). Milton’s” Dark Divan” in Paradise Lost. The Explicator, 66(2), 68-71.
11. Vitkus, D. J. (1997). Turning Turk in Othello: The conversion and damnation of the Moor. Shakespeare Quarterly, 48(2), 145-176.

Relevant Questions about The Crescent and the Rose Samuel C. Chew   

1. What is the central theme or message conveyed in “The Crescent and the Rose” by Samuel C. Chew?
2. How does Samuel C. Chew develop and characterize the key elements, such as plot, setting, and characters, in “The Crescent and the Rose”?
3. What historical or cultural context is presented in the work, and how does it contribute to the overall narrative?