Richard F. Hardin

Plautus and the English Renaissance of Comedy (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

The fifteenth-century discovery of Plautus's lost comedies brought him, for the first time since antiquity, the status of a major author both on stage and page. It also led to a reinvention of comedy and to new thinking about its art and potential. This book aims to define the unique contribution of Plautus, detached from his fellow Roman dramatist Terence, and seen in the context of that European revival, first as it took shape on the Continent. The heart of the book, with special focus on English comedy ca. 1560 to 1640, analyzes elements of Plautine technique during the period, as differentiated from native and Terentian, considering such points of comparison as dialogue, asides, metadrama, observation scenes, characterization, and atmosphere. This is the first book to cover this ground, raising such questions as: How did comedy rather suddenly progress from the interludes and brief plays of the early sixteenth century to longer, more complex plays? What did "Plautus" mean to playwrights and readers of the time? Plays by Shakespeare, Jonson, and Middleton are foregrounded, but many other comedies provide illustration and support.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury eBooks US
• Seitenzahl: 206
• Erscheinungstermin: 8. November 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781683931294
• Artikelnr.: 50027264

Autorenporträt

Richard F. Hardin is professor emeritus in the Department of English at the University of Kansas.

Inhaltsangabe

Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Humanist Debate on Comedy
Chapter 2: Reception in Northern Europe and England
Chapter 3: Plautus and English Comedy: Points of Comparison in Essentials
Chapter 4: Plautus and English Comedy: Talking through Scenes
Chapter 5: Plautus and English Comedy: Further Points of Comparison
Conclusion: "Nothing is Said that has not been said before"
Bibliography