Web Site Review

On her Web site Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge, the author, Maggie Pierce Secara, explores a variety of topics that relate to the years between 1558 and 1603. Attractive, easy-to-read, and illustrated with a wealth of art, the site offers many brief outlines on subjects that include food, religion, word and phrase definitions, and class hierarchies. Secara’s education, research for the Compendium, and active participation in Elizabethan era reenactments help to establish her as an authority on Elizabethan England. Furthermore, frequent excerpts from historical literature, suggestions of related films and books, and an espousal by a large educational Web site lend credibility to the author and her site. Because Secara’s Web site offers only short summaries on a multitude of elements of the Elizabethan period, it is a good place for a student of English literature to explore. Although originally written for writers and actors who perform period material, the site’s combination of simplicity, authority and credibility may appeal to a broader audience of readers who wish to gain background knowledge of the era prior to attempting to read the literature of the times.

The initial appeal of the Web site lies not only in its clean layout and beautiful illustrations and borders, but the fonts, too, reflect an older English style of handwriting. The home page clearly lists the title and all of the page headings. Even though the headings are neither listed alphabetically nor grouped by subject matter, the bottoms of opened pages display links to related pages in the Compendium. Most of the illustrations, which include pictures of Queen Elizabeth, cartoons, and maps, are attributed to ArtToday, an on-line site that offers, for a fee, thousands of reproductions of paintings and works of art that can be downloaded. While the art is an asset to Secara’s work, some of the representations do not seem to have any relationship to the material discussed on the page. For example, the Phoenix Jewel, an ornate gold medallion in the image of Queen Elizabeth, appears on a page titled Precedence, Preferment, and Attainder without any explanation about the jewel’s significance. The borders, on the other hand, appear on each page and enhance the Elizabethan theme of the Web site. According to the site’s designer, Paula Katherine Marmor, each, border is either a copy of an Elizabethan era embroidery pattern or an original embroidery styled after the patterns of the period. Marmor also gives a detailed list of the different fonts used--an aid for anyone who wishes to recreate the different styles of script. The minor flaws with the artwork by no means significantly detract from the overall pleasing presentation of the site.

Written with a touch of both humor and slang, the information Secara presents on the over fifty pages is also easy for readers to understand. For example, the author describes Mary Queen of Scots’s husband as a "jerk" who has "all the morals of an ape." The pages on religion take a more serious approach and read more like an abbreviated history lesson. The differences among The Church of England and the Roman Catholic and Calvinist faiths are described, as are details of punishments for practicing Catholicism. Food is discussed on several pages and sample menus are offered, perhaps for the benefit of those who participate in reenactments. Another topic Secara gives a lot of attention to is word and phrase definitions. For instance, "As you will" and "Marry shall I" are alternatives to the modern expression "okay." Several mentions about the difference between penny (a monetary unit) and pence (the value of pennies) may lead a reader to believe that the author is annoyed by people’s ignorance of the difference between the two terms. Secara also explains the relationship between the peer class and the servant class, and the hierarchies that existed in the two classes, in great detail. Although certain variables, like how long a titles person had existed in a family tree, could alter the hierarchies, the rough outline gives a reader some background as to what type of social standing sixteenth century people held. That servants held social standing within their class may come as a surprise to some readers. The dozens of other items briefly reviewed on the site combine to make an intellectually light yet educationally sound experience.

Secara’s interest in the Elizabethan era has led to her to studying, reenacting, and writing about the era, which in turn has led to her expertise in the topic. Educated at California State University, Northridge, the author and editor holds a master’s degree in English. She is a published poet and writer who published the sixth on-line edition of the Compendium on July 15, 2001. Currently, Secara is working on a novel about the Countess of Southampton and the Countess’s son, the third earl. In addition to writing about the Countess, Secara has played the part of the Countess in the last twelve Renaissance Pleasure Faires, an annual event where participants attempt to recreate the Renaissance period. Information gathered for the site is credited in a bibliography that includes over forty titles. While the author notes that the list of sources is not complete, she also acknowledges that original sources such as books and letters may be interpreted differently by a variety of scholars. In order for Secara’s writing and acting to be authentic, she researches thoroughly and passes the information on to others through the Compendium.

Evidence of the site creator’s credibility is reflected in both her extensive research and her site being lauded and linked to a credible source. Not only does the site have an extensive, albeit incomplete, bibliography, but its quotes and excerpts are cited in the body of the page where the material appears, instead in a footnote at the bottom of the page. Secara also lists a host of people whose research she borrowed from to supplement what she describes as "a 20-year research project." Also lending to the author’s credibility is her site’s listing as a "Must visit" on the Internet School Library Media Center (ISLMC) Web site. The award-winning ISLMC is a Web site designed for use by librarians and teachers. Administered by Inez Ramsey, Professor Emeritus in Library Science at James Madison University, the extensive site selects credible sites and posts them as links from its home page for use by both professionals and lay people. Thus, the site and its author appear to be believable sources of information regarding the Elizabethan era.

As a credible site that skims the surface of many topics related to the Elizabethan era, the Compedium could be very helpful for an English literature student who is not familiar with the era. For those who are more knowledgeable about the sixteenth century, the site may offer a bit of previously unknown trivia. Students who are familiar with the words, phrases and occupational titles used during the period may have an easier time understanding the literature. Background information on customs and practices, religions, food, money, and household management may give a student insight into the period of time when the literature was written. On some of the pages, Secara refers readers to other movies, books, and publications that explain the topic at hand more thoroughly than does the Compendium. Therefore, a student who wishes to further explore aspects of the Elizabethan era has a numerous amount of recommended material from which to choose. Finally, the author’s excitement about the era is abundant and may cause a student to want to learn more about Elizabethan England.

With almost 20,000 selections to choose from (using the All-in-One search engine to find Elizabethan drama Web sites), Maggie Secara’s Life in Elizabethan England proves itself to be a winner. The site visually captures and holds one’s attention with its interesting mix of facts and humor. While striving to maintain accuracy about the era, Secara also tries to pique reader’s interest in Elizabethan England and encourages further reading of the topic. For this reviewer, Secara achieved her goal.