A distinctive study of how sixteenth- and seventeenth-century writers--mainly Sidney, Spenser, Shakespeare, Wroth, and Cavendish--used erotic desire, masochism, and cross-gender identification to explore the origins and limits of political allegiance; thereby offering new perspectives on histories of gender, sexuality, politics, and literature during the period. an exemplary piece of research a study, which, in brief, exhibits considerable range, shrewd, perceptive readings, and interpretations of literary-historical textual data, and well-informed and intelligent engagement with current critical debates.