Seizures of the Will in Early Modern English Drama

by Frank Whigham

Overview

Frank Whigham presents a detailed and innovative analysis of five English Renaissance plays, set in the context of social rank, gender, kinship, and service relationships. The Spanish Tragedy and The Duchess of Malfi, set at court, explore fantasies of the lurid and decadent life at the center of national culture. Arden of Faversham, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage, and A Yorkshire Tragedy examine the collisions between traditional rural values and newfangled behavior brought from London.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521564496
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/26/1996
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture , #11
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.94(h) x 0.67(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Forcing divorce in The Spanish Tragedy; 2. Hunger and pain in Arden of Faversham; 3. The ideology of prodigality in The Miseries of an Enforced Marriage, and A Yorkshire Tragedy; 4. Sexual and social mobility in The Duchess of Malfi; Afterword.

Editorial Reviews

"Whigham succeeds admirably in his effort to complicate and expand historicist analysis of the notion of will, and this book provides a fine map for further critical exploration of early modern English Drama." B.R. Siegfried, The Sixteenth Century Journal

"...the analysis of the drama Whigham offers is... exhilirating..." Karen Bamford, Essays in Theatre

"The analyses of the plays are rich, multilayered and open-ended, and each chapter provides a wealth of fascinating information about early modern culture and social structures." Rebecca W. Bushnell, Modern Philology

"Theoretical grounding, interest in material life, entertaining allusions—these qualities coupled with Whigham's generous yet incisive method make Seizures a dive that brings up some true treasures." Ann C. Christensen, Jrnl Of English & Germanic Philology

From the Publisher