{"product_id":"drama-and-the-death-of-god-secularity-on-stage-from-antiquity-to-shakespeare-paperback-softback-9781501785290","title":"Drama and the Death of God; Secularity on Stage from Antiquity to Shakespeare (Paperback \/ softback) 9781501785290","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eDrama and the Death of God\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eSecularity on Stage from Antiquity to Shakespeare\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJohn Parker (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781501785290\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 15 January 2026\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e312 pages, 3 b\u0026amp;w halftones - 3 Halftones, black and white\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.454 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDrama and the Death of God\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, John Parker argues that the secularity often associated with Shakespeare inspired a variety of performances going back to antiquity.\u003c\/b\u003e Scripture presupposes, even needs, the existence of a worldly sphere inimical to faith: known as the \u003ci\u003esaeculum\u003c\/i\u003e, this finite domain of appetite and unbelief invited both condemnation and celebration throughout medieval Christendom, as exemplified by the songs and plays of the \u003ci\u003eCarmina Burana\u003c\/i\u003e. After the tenth century, Christians routinely impersonated unbelievers in music dramas connected to the high holidays so that they might question biblical truths, especially the authenticity of miracles. The church generated by this means a vision of the godless world that modernity stepped into. After the English Reformation, when Europe's first commercial theaters arose on ruined monastic estates, players continued to showcase how divine intervention could be staged by humans in the absence of God. \u003ci\u003eKing Lear\u003c\/i\u003e in particular explores the ancient proposition that the \u003ci\u003esaeculum\u003c\/i\u003e holds no inherent meaning and is capable of generating only pseudomiraculous spectacles to salve the ache of existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cornell University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52610567667992,"sku":"9781501785290","price":22.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/drama-and-the-death-of-god-secularity-on-stage-from-antiquity-to-shakespeare-paperback-softback-9781501785290","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}