Wood reads Philip SidneysNew Arcadia in the light of the ethos known as Philippism after the followers of Philip Melanchthon the Protestant theologian. He employs a critical paradigm previously used to discuss SidneysDefence of Poesy and narrows the gap that critics have found between Sidneys theory and literary practice. This book is a valuable resource for scholars and researchers in the fields of literary and religious studies.Various strands of philosophical, political and theological thought are accommodated within theNew Arcadia, which conforms to the kind of literature praised by Melanchthon for its examples of virtue. Employing the same philosophy, Sidney, in his letter to Queen Elizabeth and in his fiction, arrogates to himself the role of court counsellor. Robert Devereux also draws, Wood argues, on the optimistic and conciliatory philosophy signified by SidneysNew Arcadia.