In the following essay, Montrose examines the cultural background of Raleigh's The Discoverie of Guiana (1596), focusing specifically on the presence of such opposing values in the work as European and Indian, English and Spanish, culture and nature, and male and female.

In the following essay, Edwards considers the defining characteristics of Raleigh's poetry.

In the following essay, Greenblatt examines the ways in which Raleigh's poetry was shaped by his relationship with Queen Elizabeth I and his desire to forge a successful career for himself at court.

In the following analysis of Raleigh's court poetry, which focuses on The Ocean to Cynthia, Greenblatt examines the ways in which the poetry was shaped by Raleigh's relationship with Queen Elizabeth I and his desire to forge a successful career for himself at court.

In the essay below, Strathmann places Raleigh's thought in the context of Greek, Roman, and Renaissance scepticism: "we find in [Raleigh's utterances and writings support for his modest reputation in the seventeenth century as a philosophic sceptic."]

In the following excerpt from his book-length study of Raleigh's History, Racin elucidates Raleigh's concept of truth in historiography and his understanding of his role as a historian.

In the following essay, Edwards examines the nature of Raleigh's prose works, focusing in particular on his treatment of military and naval engagements, his reflective writings, and his conception of historiography.

In the following excerpt, taken from an expanded version of a lecture originally delivered at Oxford University in 1962, Hill provides an overview of Raleigh's social, political, and intellectual background, focusing in particular on the courtier's literary and scientific pursuits and his involvement in foreign policy during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.

In the following excerpt, Greenblatt traces the origins of Raleigh's histrionic conception of himself and of his surroundings, a worldview that, according to the critic, manifested itself in Raleigh's writings in both deeply pessimistic and highly optimistic appraisals of humankind's ability to control their destiny.

In the following essay, Bajetta finds similarities between Raleigh's two early poems and places them in the context of their literary milieu.

In the following essay, Campbell analyzes the structure and historical context of Raleigh's "The Ocean to Cynthia," arguing that the work is "a poem consumed with loss " for Raleigh's failure to remain in favor with Queen Elizabeth I.

In the following essay, Beer analyzes the structure of The Ocean to Cynthia and challenges the assumption of the poem's incompleteness.

In the following essay, Williams examines Raleigh's sonnets in the context of Old English Lyric.

In the following essay, Winton relates the circumstances surrounding Raleigh's marriage and fall from royal favor and reflects on how these events formed his work.

In the following essay, Duncan-Jones determines the time of composition for Raleigh's poem.

In the following essay, Stillman emphasizes the connection in The Ocean of Cynthia between Raleigh's loss of Elizabeth I's favor and the inadequacy of language—specifically, the symbolic mode formerly used by Raleigh to represent the Queen's cultic status as a beloved deity—to express his suffering.

In the following essay, Stillman emphasizes the connection in The Ocean to Cynthia between Raleigh's loss of Elizabeth I's favor and the inadequacy of language—specifically, the symbolic mode formerly used by Raleigh to represent the Queen's cultic status as a beloved deity—to express his suffering.

In the following essay, originally given as a lecture in 1938, Brooke unfavorably compares Raleigh to his English contemporaries, Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, and Christopher Marlowe.

In the essay below, Patrides analyzes the Christian historiographical method that informs Raleigh's The History of the World.

In the following excerpt from his critical biography of Raleigh, May offers a thematic and stylistic analysis of Raleigh's early verse.

In the following excerpt, Edwards explains why he considers Raleigh the embodiment of the chief characteristics of the Renaissance, primarily discussing Raleigh's interest in science and the arts and his religious beliefs.

In the following introduction to his edition of Raleigh's selected works, Hammond underscores the essentially pessimistic tone of Raleigh's writings and describes the stylistic features of his poetry and prose.

In the following essay, Horner discusses sea and earth imagery in The Ocean to Cynthia.

In the following essay, May discusses a few Elizabethan companion poems attributed to Raleigh, concluding these poems “form a coherent pattern which expands our understanding of the overall role of poetry in his life.”

In the following essay, Johnson analyzes the consistency and success of the poem's metaphorical and thematic structure.

In the following excerpt, Strathmann examines the considerable fluctuations in Raleigh's reputation during his lifetime and on into the twentieth century, focusing on the History and Raleigh's alleged atheism.

In the following excerpt, which is drawn from a lecture originally delivered in 1938, Brooke discusses Raleigh's poetry and prose, as well as his personality and career, as products of Elizabethan romanticism.

In the following essay, Ure provides an overview of Raleigh's court poetry.

In the following essay, Ure contrasts Raleigh's poetry with that of Spenser and emphasizes that, as both a literary artist and man, Raleigh left an ambiguous impression.

In the following review, Trevor-Roper offers a brief overview of Raleigh's life and career.

In the following review, Hudson provides a mixed assessment of Agnes M. C. Latham's edition of The Poems of Sir Walter Ralegh.