Ben Jonson and the Politics of Genre

This book considers how Ben Jonson threaded his political views into the various literary genres in which he wrote.

A. D. Cousins (Edited by), Alison V. Scott (Edited by)

9781107403741, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 27 October 2011

232 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.32 kg

Review of the hardback: 'The editors offer this excellent collection of essays as the first book-length study to explore ways in which Ben Jonson deploys the resources of genre to shape his political vision … a topic of genre and politics that richly deserves the exploration it receives here.' David Bevington, English Historical Review

While Ben Jonson's political visions have been well documented, this study was the first to consider how he threaded his views into the various literary genres in which he wrote. For Jonson, these genres were interactive and mutually affirming, necessary for negotiating the tempestuous politics of early modern society, and here some of the most renowned Jonson scholars provide a collection of essays that discuss his use of genre. They present perspectives on many of Jonson's major works, from his epigrams and epistles, through to his Roman tragedies and satirical plays like Volpone. Other topics examined include Jonson's diverse representations of monarchy, his ambiguous celebrations of European commonwealths, his sexual politics, and his engagement with the issues of republicanism. These essays represent the forefront of critical thinking on Ben Jonson, and offer a reassessment of the author's political life in Jacobean and Caroline Britain.

Introduction A. D. Cousins and Alison V. Scott
1. Feigning the commonwealth: Jonson's 'Epigrams' A. D. Cousins
2. The Jonsonian masque and the politics of decorum Alison V. Scott
3. The politics (and pairing) of Jonson's country house poems Robert C. Evans
4. Style, versatility and the politics of the epistles John Roe
5. Jonson's politics of gender and genre: Mary Wroth and 'Charis' Marea Mitchell
6. Jonson's metempsychosis revisited: patronage and religious controversy Richard Dutton
7. Jonson's humanist tragedies Tom Cain
8. A generic prompt in Jonson's 'Timber', or 'the Discoveries' Eugene D. Hill.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD], Literary studies: general [DSB]