Thomas Middleton and early modern textual culture : a companion to the collected works

Thomas Middleton (1580-1627) - 'our other Shakespeare' - is the only other Renaissance playwright who created lasting masterpieces of both comedy and tragedy; he also wrote the greatest box-office hit of early modern London, the unique history play A Game at Chess . His range extends beyond these traditional genres to tragicomedies, masques, pageants, pamphlets, epigrams, and Biblical and political commentaries, written alone or in collaboration with Shakespeare, Webster, Dekker, Ford, Heywood, Rowley, and others. Compared by critics to Aristophanes and Ibsen, Racine and Joe Orton, he has influenced writers as diverse as Aphra Behn and T. S. Eliot. Though repeatedly censored in his own time, he has since come to be particularly admired for his representations of the intertwined pursuits of sex, money, power, and God. The Collected Works brings together for the first time in a single volume all the works currently attributed to Middleton. It is the first edition of Middleton's works since 1886. The texts are printed in modern spelling and punctuation, with critical introductions and foot-of-the-page commentaries; they are arranged in chronological order, with a special section of Juvenilia. The volume is introduced by essays on Middleton's life and reputation, on early modern London, and on the varied theatres of the English Renaissance. Extensively illustrated, it incorporates much new information on Middleton's life, canon, texts, and contexts. A self-consciously 'federal edition', The Collected Works applies contemporary theories about the nature of literature and the history of the book to editorial practice. TABLE OF CONTENTS......Page 7 ALPHABETICAL CONTENTS......Page 10 INDEX OF TITLES BY GENRE......Page 12 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 14 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK......Page 19 Middleton and His World......Page 24 Thomas Middleton: Lives and Afterlives......Page 26 Middleton’s London......Page 60 Middleton’s Theatres......Page 75 Collected Works 1602–1627......Page 90 The Phoenix......Page 92 Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton, News from Gravesend: Sent to Nobody......Page 129 The Nightingale and the Ant; and, Father Hubburd’s Tales......Page 150 Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker, The Meeting of Gallants at an Ordinary; or, The Walks in Paul’s......Page 184 Plato’s Cap cast at this year 1604, being leap year......Page 196 The Black Book......Page 205 Thomas Dekker, Stephen Harrison, Ben Jonson, and Thomas Middleton, The Whole Royal and Magnificent Entertainment of King James through the City of London, 15 March 1604, with the Arches of Triumph......Page 220 Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton, The Patient Man and the Honest Whore......Page 281 Lost Plays: A Brief Account......Page 329 Michaelmas Term......Page 335 A Trick to Catch the Old One......Page 374 A Mad World, My Masters......Page 415 A Yorkshire Tragedy (one of the four-plays-in-one, called All’s One)......Page 453 William Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton, The Life of Timon of Athens......Page 468 The Puritan Widow; or, The Puritan; or, The Widow of Watling Street......Page 510 The Revenger’s Tragedy......Page 544 Your Five Gallants......Page 595 Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker, The Bloody Banquet: A Tragedy......Page 638 Andraeas Loeaechius, Sir Robert Sherley his Entertainment in Cracovia......Page 671 The Two Gates of Salvation; or, The Marriage of the Old and New Testament; or, God’s Parliament House......Page 680 Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker, The Roaring Girl; or, Moll Cutpurse......Page 722 No Wit/Help like a Woman’s; or, The Almanac......Page 780 The Lady’s Tragedy [‘The Second Maiden’s Tragedy’]: Parallel Texts......Page 834 A Chaste Maid in Cheapside......Page 908 The Manner of his Lordship’s Entertainment......Page 960 The Triumphs of Truth......Page 964 William Rowley and Thomas Middleton, Wit at Several Weapons......Page 981 Masque of Cupids......Page 1028 More Dissemblers Besides Women......Page 1035 The Widow......Page 1075 The Witch......Page 1125 William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Macbeth: A Genetic Text......Page 1166 Civitatis Amor......Page 1203 William Rowley and Thomas Middleton, A Fair Quarrel......Page 1210 The Triumphs of Honour and Industry......Page 1252 The Owl’s Almanac......Page 1272 The Peacemaker; or, Great Britain’s Blessing......Page 1304 Masque of Heroes; or, The Inner Temple Masque......Page 1321 William Rowley, Thomas Middleton, and Thomas Heywood, An/The Old Law......Page 1332 The Triumphs of Love and Antiquity......Page 1398 Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, The World Tossed at Tennis [A Courtly Masque]......Page 1406 Honourable Entertainments and An Invention......Page 1432 Hengist, King of Kent; or, The Mayor of Queenborough......Page 1449 Women, Beware Women: A Tragedy......Page 1489 William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure: A Genetic Text......Page 1543 The Sun in Aries......Page 1587 Thomas Middleton and John Webster, Anything for a Quiet Life......Page 1594 William Rowley and Thomas Middleton, The Changeling......Page 1633 The Nice Valour; or, The Passionate Madman......Page 1680 The Triumphs of Honour and Virtue......Page 1715 John Ford, Thomas Dekker, Thomas Middleton, and William Rowley, The Spanish Gypsy......Page 1724 Thomas Middleton and Anthony Munday, The Triumphs of Integrity with The Triumphs of the Golden Fleece......Page 1767 A Game at Chesse: An Early Form......Page 1774 A Game at Chess: A Later Form......Page 1826 Occasional Poems, 1619–25......Page 1887 Lost Pageant for Charles I: A Brief Account......Page 1899 The Triumphs of Health and Prosperity......Page 1902 Lost Political Prose, 1620–7: A Brief Account......Page 1908 Juvenilia 1597–1601......Page 1914 The Wisdom of Solomon Paraphrased......Page 1916 Microcynicon: Six Snarling Satires......Page 1971 The Ghost of Lucrece......Page 1986 ‘Simon Smellknave’ (pseud.), The Penniless Parliament of Threadbare Poets......Page 2000 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 2013 "Thomas Middleton and Early Modern Textual Culture is not only a companion to The Collected Works of Thomas Middleton, which every scholar of Renaissance literature will find indispensable. It is also essential reading for anyone interested in the history of the book in early modern Europe. The book is divided into three parts. The first part, on 'The Culture', situates Middleton within an historical and theoretical overview of early modern textual production, reproduction, circulation, and reception." "The rest of the volume supplies the documentation for claims made in the first part. Part II, 'The Author' includes detailed evidence for the canon and chronology of Middleton's works in all genres, greatly extending previous scholarship, and using the latest corpus-based attribution techniques. This section situates individual authorial agency in the space between larger institutional forces and the material specificity of particular textual embodiments. Part III, 'The Texts', contains a full editorial apparatus for each item in the Collected Works, an Introduction, which summarizes and extends previous scholarship, is followed by textual notes, recording substantive departures from the control-text, variants between early texts, press-variants, discussions of emendations, and (for plays) an exact transcription of all original stage directions. Cross-references make it easy to move between the two volumes. This authoritative account of the early texts includes some extraordinary complicated cases, which have never before been systematically collated."--Jacket Thomas Middleton Is One Of The Few Playwrights In English Whose Range And Brilliance Comes Close To Shakespeare's. This Title Makes All Middleton's Work Accessible In A Single Volume. Middleton And His World -- Collected Works 1602-1627 -- Juvenilia 1597-1601. General Editors, Gary Taylor And John Lavagnino ; Associate General Editors Macdonald P. Jackson ... [et Al.]. Issued With Companion Volume: Thomas Middleton And Early Modern Textual Culture : A Companion To The Collected Works. Includes Index. Includes Abbreviated Bibliographical References; Full Bibliographical References Included In Companion Volume.