Radical Comedy in Early Modern England

Contexts, Cultures, Performances

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Radical Comedy in Early Modern England by Rick Bowers, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rick Bowers ISBN: 9781317071976
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: April 8, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Rick Bowers
ISBN: 9781317071976
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: April 8, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Drawing on the generic and mythic strength of comedy and the theories of Bakhtin, Bergson, and Hobbes, this book identifies the radical nature of early modern English comedy. The satirical comedic actions that shape the "Shepherds' Play," Thomas Dekker's pamphlets, and the comic dramas of Marston, Middleton, and Jonson are all driven, Bowers points out, by an ability to criticize authority, assert plebeian culture, and insist on the complexity and innovation of human discourse. The texts examined (including The Jew of Malta, Metamorphosis of Ajax, Antonio and Mellida, Bartholomew Fair, The Alchemist, and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside) simultaneously create and employ standard comedic elements. Farce, absurdity, excess, over-the-top characters, unremitting irony, black humor, toilet humor, and tricksters of all types - such features and more combine to satirize medical, religious, and political authority and to implement necessary social change. Written with a narrative ease, Radical Comedy in Early Modern England shows how comic interventions both describe and reconfigure prevalent authority in its own time while arguing that, through early modern comedy, one can observe the changes in social behavior and understandings characteristic of the Renaissance.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Drawing on the generic and mythic strength of comedy and the theories of Bakhtin, Bergson, and Hobbes, this book identifies the radical nature of early modern English comedy. The satirical comedic actions that shape the "Shepherds' Play," Thomas Dekker's pamphlets, and the comic dramas of Marston, Middleton, and Jonson are all driven, Bowers points out, by an ability to criticize authority, assert plebeian culture, and insist on the complexity and innovation of human discourse. The texts examined (including The Jew of Malta, Metamorphosis of Ajax, Antonio and Mellida, Bartholomew Fair, The Alchemist, and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside) simultaneously create and employ standard comedic elements. Farce, absurdity, excess, over-the-top characters, unremitting irony, black humor, toilet humor, and tricksters of all types - such features and more combine to satirize medical, religious, and political authority and to implement necessary social change. Written with a narrative ease, Radical Comedy in Early Modern England shows how comic interventions both describe and reconfigure prevalent authority in its own time while arguing that, through early modern comedy, one can observe the changes in social behavior and understandings characteristic of the Renaissance.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Environmental Communication Pedagogy and Practice by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book A Critical Psychology of the Postcolonial by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Shakespeare's Sonnets by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book The Military-State-Society Symbiosis by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Becoming a Social Worker by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Urban Innovation Systems by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Ireland, France, and the Atlantic in a Time of War by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Understanding The New Statistics by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Discourse and Social Media by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book The Agrarian Question in North Vietnam, 1974-79 by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Global Suburbs by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book International Review of Sign Linguistics by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Children's Participation by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Deviant Behaviour by Rick Bowers
Cover of the book Redefining Innovation by Rick Bowers
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy