This book explores the popularization in the Renaissance of the still pervasive myth that later cultures are the hereditary descendants of ancient or older cultures. It shows how the new techne of systematic genealogy facilitated the process of "remythicizing" the ancient authorities.
Explores the manner in which English Renaissance poets invented a poetic genealogy. Falco applies the notion of "conceived presences" to the poets of the late 16th century who, intent on establishing a national literature, conceived the presence of their literary forebears, both ancient and modern.
