Book excerpt: Kinney shows how the Mass, the Divine Offices, and the liturgy underlie the themes and image clusters of Skelton's poems and argues that liturgical music, especially the plainsong, informs all of Skelton's meters. What emerges is the portrait of a consistent, determined, and imaginative poet in whose canon poetics is grounded in the marriage of teaching and preaching. The study sheds new light on the interrelationships of politics, poetry, and religion in Renaissance England. Originally published in 1987. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.