English Drama Before Shakespeare by Peter Happe

English Drama Before Shakespeare by Peter Happe

English Drama before Shakespeare surveys the range of dramatic activity in English up to 1590. The book challenges the traditional divisions between Medieval and Renaissance literature by showing that there was much continuity throughout this period, in spite of many innovations. The range of dramatic activity includes well-known features such as mystery cycles and the interludes, as well as comedy and tragedy. Para-dramatic activity such as the liturgical drama, royal entries and localised or parish drama is also covered. Many of the plays considered are anonymous, but a coherent, biographical view can be taken of the work of known dramatists such as John Heywood, John Bale, and Christopher Marlowe. Peter Happé's study is based upon close reading of selected plays, especially from the mystery cycles and such Elizabethan works as Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy. It takes account of contemporary research into dramatic form, performance (including some important recent revivals), dramatic sites and early theatre buildings, and the nature of early dramatic texts. Recent changes in outlook generated by the publication of the written records of early drama form part of the book's focus. There is an extensive bibliography covering social and political background, the lives and works of individual authors, and the development of theatrical ideas through the period. The book is aimed at undergraduates, as well as offering an overview for more advanced students and researchers in drama and in related fields of literature and cultural studies.

"This book is to be recommended to all those with an interest in Early English Drama and its currentness in terms of scholarship and critical theory is most welcome" Notes and queries

Peter Happe

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780582493742
ISBN 10	0582493749
Title	English Drama Before Shakespeare
Author	Peter Happe
Series	Longman Literature In English Series
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Taylor & Francis Ltd
Year published	1999-02-25
Number of pages	304
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.