Spectacle and public performance in the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance : [papers from the 3rd annual symposium of the Marco Institute held in spring, 2004, at the University of Tennessee

No volume about the spectacles and public performances of early modern England could pretend to treat comprehensively a body of materials so conspicuously vast. Rather than efforts to survey the territory, these essays are best understood in the original sense of the term as "essays"-as trials, attempts, experiments to open alternative ways of understanding that vast corpus of mystery plays, civic pageants, court masques and professional dramas that constitute its subject. The book crosses traditional period lines, including studies of Medieval as well as Renaissance entertainments. Once more, the essays are not organized according to a single critical or historical methodology. They employ an eclectic range of interpretive practices, reflecting the variety of interpretive approaches now current in the field. Contributors include: Tiffany J. Alkan, Robert W. Barrett, Jr., Sarah Beckwith, Tom Bishop, Peter Cockett, Richard K. Emmerson, Peter Holland, Nora Johnson, Richard C. McCoy, Lauren Shohet, and Robert E. Stillman. CONTENTS......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 10 EDITOR’S FOREWORD......Page 12 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS......Page 20 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 24 ANTICHRIST ON PAGE AND STAGE IN THE LATER MIDDLE AGES --- Richard K. Emmerson......Page 26 STAGING ANTICHRIST AND THE PERFORMANCE OF MIRACLES --- Peter Cockett......Page 56 “NOTHING MORE NEDEFUL”: POLITICS AND THE RHETORIC OF ACCOMMODATION IN QUEEN ELIZABETH I’S CORONATION PROCESSION --- Robert E. Stillman......Page 76 BRITOMART’S BACKWARD GLANCE IN SPENSER’S FAERIE QUEENE: LIMINAL TRIUMPHS/DARK EROTICS IN BUSIRANE’S MASK OF CUPID --- Tiffany J. Alkan......Page 104 SPECTACLE AND THE FANTASY OF IMMATERIALITY: AUTHORSHIP AND MAGIC IN JOHN A KENT AND JOHN A CUMBER --- Nora Johnson......Page 130 THE PLAY OF VOICE ACKNOWLEDGMENT, KNOWLEDGE AND SELF-KNOWLEDGE IN MEASURE FOR MEASURE --- Sarah Beckwith......Page 146 SPECTACLE AND EQUIVOCATION IN MACBETH --- Richard C. McCoy......Page 170 MAPPING SHAKESPEARE’S BRITAIN --- Peter Holland......Page 182 THE ABSENT TRIUMPHATOR IN THE 1610 CHESTER’S TRIUMPH IN HONOR OF HER PRINCE --- Robert W. Barrett, Jr.......Page 208 HAVE HIS “CARKASSE”: THE AFTERMATHS OF ENGLISH COURT MASQUES --- Tom Bishop......Page 236 READING/GENRES: ON 1630S MASQUES --- Lauren Shohet......Page 256 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES......Page 274 Antichrist On Page And Stage In The Later Middle Ages / Richard K. Emmerson -- Staging Antichrist And The Performance Of Miracles / Peter Cockett -- Nothing More Nedeful : Politics And The Rhetoric Of Accommodation In Elizabeth I's Coronation Procession / Robert E. Stillman -- Britomart's Backward Glance In Spenser's Faerie Queene : Liminal Triumphs/dark Erotics In Busirane's Mask Of Cupid / Tiffany J. Alkan -- The Play Of Voice : Acknowledgment, Knowledge, And Self-knowledge In Measure For Measure / Sarah Beckwith -- Spectacle And Equivocation In Macbeth / Richard C. Mccoy -- Mapping Shakespeare's Britain / Peter Holland -- The Absent Triumphator In The 1610 Chester's Triumph In Honor Of Her Prince / Robert W. Barrett, Jr. -- Have His Carkasse : The Aftermaths Of English Court Masques / Tom Bishop -- Reading/genres : On 1630s Masques / Lauren Shohet. Edited By Robert Stillman. Papers From The 3rd Annual Symposium Of The Marco Institute Held In Spring, 2004, At The University Of Tennessee. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. No volume about the spectacles and public performances of early modern England could pretend to treat comprehensively a body of materials so conspicuously vast. Rather than efforts to survey the territory, these essays are best understood in the original sense of the term as essays as trials, attempts, experiments to open alternative ways of understanding that vast corpus of mystery plays, civic pageants, court masques and professional dramas that constitute its subject. The book crosses traditional period lines, including studies of Medieval as well as Renaissance entertainments. Once more, the essays are not organized according to a single critical or historical methodology. They employ an eclectic range of interpretive practices, reflecting the variety of interpretive approaches now current in the field. -- Amazon.com This is a wide-ranging collection of essays from a variety of critical perspectives exploring alternative ways of understanding the entertainments, mystery plays, civic pageants, courtly masques, and professional dramas of late Medieval and Renaissance England.