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Testimony
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Chapter 6 explores the issues of eyewitness accounts and testimony. In both legal disputes and for information about foreign countries great reliance was placed on the accounts of eyewitnesses. But how could anyone be sure that those who provided testimony were telling the truth? Reliable, honest testimony was central to questions of truth and lying and so features heavily in discussion in this period. The chapter explores a variety of cases such as the accounts given of the death of Robert Greene; the murder of Anthony James by Annis and George Dell; the case of the mysterious herring with lettering on its side, and the plots against Mary Queen of Scots, as well as the fictional account of issues about travel in Thomas Nashe’s The Unfortunate Traveller, to show how debates about truth and lies were undertaken.
Title: Testimony
Description:
Chapter 6 explores the issues of eyewitness accounts and testimony.
In both legal disputes and for information about foreign countries great reliance was placed on the accounts of eyewitnesses.
But how could anyone be sure that those who provided testimony were telling the truth? Reliable, honest testimony was central to questions of truth and lying and so features heavily in discussion in this period.
The chapter explores a variety of cases such as the accounts given of the death of Robert Greene; the murder of Anthony James by Annis and George Dell; the case of the mysterious herring with lettering on its side, and the plots against Mary Queen of Scots, as well as the fictional account of issues about travel in Thomas Nashe’s The Unfortunate Traveller, to show how debates about truth and lies were undertaken.
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