The Arden handbook of Shakespeare and early modern drama : perspectives on culture, performance and identity

"This collection offers a wide-ranging, authoritative guide to research on drama and society in Shakespeare's England, mapping the variety of approaches to the context and work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Its contents include chapters by senior figures within the field as well as by emerging scholars working on the most exciting areas of current research. As well as surveying significant 21st-century trends in the study of early modern drama, they offer original, state-of-the-art work on theatre history, social and cultural contexts of the theatre, and recent approaches in criticism and performance. Chapters explore early modern drama through a range of cultural contexts and approaches, from material culture and emotion studies to early modern race work and new directions in gender and sexuality studies. The volume also includes a ground-breaking new chronology of early modern drama, a survey of resources, and an annotated bibliography. Combining original research with an account of the current state of play, The Arden Research Handbook of Early Modern Drama will be an invaluable resource both to experienced scholars and to those beginning work in the field"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Notes on Contributors 9 Series Preface 13 Acknowledgements 15 Note on the Text 16 1 Introduction Michelle M. Dowd and Tom Rutter 18 2 Material and institutional contexts of early modern drama Ed Gieskes 36 Part I Research methods and problems 68 3.1 Did early modern drama actually happen? Kurt Schreyer 70 3.2 Drama and society in Shakespeare’s England Jean E. Howard 86 Part II Current research and issues 104 4.1 Ancient and early modern European contexts of early modern ­English drama Ton Hoenselaars 106 4.2 Playing companies and repertories Elizabeth E. Tavares 126 4.3 Playhouses and performance Laurie Johnson 146 4.4 Drama beyond the playhouses Tracey Hill 164 4.5 Material culture Chloe Porter 180 4.6 Engendering the stage: Women and dramatic culture Clare McManus and Lucy Munro 198 4.7 Matter, nature, cosmos: The scientific art of the early modern ­English stage Jean E. Feerick 218 4.8 Early modern race-work: History, methodology and politics Jane Hwang Degenhardt 236 4.9 Sexualities, emotions and embodiment Holly Dugan 256 4.10 Religion and religious cultures Benedict S. Robinson 274 Part III New directions 290 5.1 Diversifying early modern drama 1: Early modern disability studies and trans studies Genevieve Love 292 5.2 Diversifying early modern drama 2: Gaining perspective: Race, ­diversity and early modern studies Farah Karim-Cooper 302 5.3 Performing Shakespeare’s contemporaries Harry R. McCarthy 312 Part IV Chronology and resources 330 6 Rethinking the early years of the London playhouses: An essay in ­chronology Andy Kesson 332 7 Resources Catherine Evans and Amy Lidster 344 8 Further reading Michelle M. Dowd and Tom Rutter 356 Index 380 How does our understanding of early modern performance, culture and identity change when we decentre Shakespeare? And how might a more inclusive approach to early modern drama help enable students to discuss a range of issues, including race and gender, in more productive ways? Underpinned by these questions, this collection offers a wide-ranging, authoritative guide to research on drama in Shakespeare's England, mapping the variety of approaches to the context and work of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. By paying attention to repertory, performance in and beyond playhouses, modes of performance, and lost and less-studied plays, the handbook reshapes our critical narratives about early modern drama. Chapters explore early modern drama through a range of cultural contexts and approaches, from material culture and emotion studies to early modern race work and new directions in disability and trans studies, as well as contemporary performance. Running through the collection is a shared focus on contemporary concerns, with contributors exploring how race, religion, environment, gender and sexuality animate 16th- and 17th-century drama and, crucially, the questions we bring to our study, teaching and research of it. The volume includes a ground-breaking assessment of the chronology of early modern drama, a survey of resources and an annotated bibliography to assist researchers as they pursue their own avenues of inquiry. Combining original research with an account of the current state of play, The Arden Handbook of Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama will be an invaluable resource both for experienced scholars and for those beginning work in the field.