Tragedies of the English Renaissance: An Introduction (Renaissance Dramas and Dramatists) - Softcover

Stanivukovic, Goran; Cameron, John H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1474419569 ISBN 13: 9781474419567

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 2018

Synopsis

Explores popular Renaissance tragedies through a chronological commentary of political, social, cultural and aesthetic factorsThis book covers the development of tragedy as a dramatic genre from its earliest examples in the 1560's until the closure of the theatres in 1642. It traces the astonishingly diverse range of tragedies as they were influenced by the growth of public and private theatre venues in London. Tragedy was the most popular and the most diverse of theatrical genres during the English Renaissance; it was also the most disruptive and subversive. For Shakespeare and his contemporaries, tragedy reaches kings and queens and everyday person alike. Tragedy has rules, but these were rules that playwrights were ready to trouble and transform to meet changes in society and politics, in theatre venue, and in audience demand.Key FeaturesPlays and their authors are discussed alongside each other against the background of the socio-cultural and political conditions of their timesShows the degree to which theatre history can be connected with other significant contextual factors and critical ideas in analysis of the tragedies of the English RenaissanceReflects the latest scholarship of early modern theatre history (especially London theatres), the history of performance and acting and the print history of stage playsInspects the sub-genres associated with the form, such as revenge tragedy, historical tragedy, domestic tragedy, tragicomedy and closet drama

About this title

About the Authors

Goran Stanivukovic is Professor of Early Modern English Literature and Chair of Department of English Language and Literature at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada. His most recent publications include, as author, Knights in Arms: Prose Romance, Masculinity, and Eastern Mediterranean Trade in Early Modern England, 1565-1655 (University of Toronto Press, 2016); as editor, Queer Shakespeare: Desire and Sexuality (Bloomsbury, 2017) and Timely Voices: Romance Writing in English Literature (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2017).

John H. Cameron teaches English Literature at Saint Mary’s University, Halifax. His primary research and teaching interests are early modern English drama. His most recent publications include book chapters on Spenser’s The Faerie Queene and Robert Louis Stevenson, as well as encyclopedia entries on Mario Vargas Llosa and on Julio Cortáar. He is currently preparing two monographs, one a history of Shakespeare’s reception in France and the other a critical history of Hamlet.

From the Back Cover

'Stanivukovic and Cameron's history of tragedy in early modern London playing spaces offers an admirably clear introduction to a complex genre. It is particularly good on the relation of tragedy to the religious uncertainty of the period. Sound, scholarly and detailed, this is a book that will be invaluable to students.' Lisa Hopkins, Sheffield Hallam University Explores popular Renaissance tragedies through a chronological commentary of political, social, cultural and aesthetic factors This book covers the development of tragedy as a dramatic genre from its earliest examples in the 1560s until the closure of the theatres in 1642. It traces the astonishingly diverse range of tragedies as they were influenced by the growth of public and private theatre venues in London. Tragedy was the most popular and the most diverse of theatrical genres during the English Renaissance; it was also the most disruptive and subversive. For Shakespeare and his contemporaries, tragedy reaches kings and queens and everyday person alike. Tragedy has rules, but these were rules that playwrights were ready to trouble and transform to meet changes in society and politics, in theatre venue and in audience demand. Key Features - Plays and their authors are discussed alongside each other against the background of the socio-cultural and political conditions of their times. - Shows the degree to which theatre history can be connected with other significant contextual factors and critical ideas in analysis of the tragedies of the English Renaissance. - Reflects the latest scholarship of early modern theatre history (especially London theatres), the history of performance and acting and the print history of stage plays. - Inspects the sub-genres associated with the form, such as revenge tragedy, historical tragedy, domestic tragedy, tragicomedy and closet drama. Goran Stanivukovic is Professor of Early Modern English Literature at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada. He is the author of Knights in Arms: Prose Romance, Masculinity, and Eastern Mediterranean Trade in Early Modern England, 1565-1655 (2016). John H. Cameron teaches English Literature at Saint Mary's University. He is currently preparing two monographs, one a history of Shakespeare's reception in France and the other a critical history of Hamlet. Cover image: Young Man holding a Skull (Vanitas), Frans Hals, 1626-28 (c) The National Gallery, London / akg Cover design: [EUP logo] edinburghuniversitypress.com ISBN 978-1-4744-1955-0 [PPC] ISBN 978-1-4744-1956-7 [cover] Barcode

Edition details

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1474419569
• ISBN 13: 9781474419567
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240