Thomas Middleton in Context

An illuminating study of all works in the newly enlarged Middleton canon, placing them in personal, national, international and theatrical contexts.

Suzanne Gossett (Edited by)

9780521190541, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 April 2011

416 pages, 20 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.4 cm, 0.79 kg

".. is a fine collection, its thirty-eight short, well-illustrated chapters giving a variety of new perspectives." -- Studies in English Literature

The redefinition of the Thomas Middleton canon has led to an explosion of interest in this quintessential Jacobean. Middleton's best-known plays, such as Women Beware Women and The Changeling, are now staged, filmed and rewritten for modern audiences. But Middleton also wrote religious poetry, satires, historical allegory, prose and less familiar plays, collaborating frequently, even with Shakespeare. His works are rooted in his historical and cultural environment, from the Overbury scandal to the fall of the boys' companies. Here, experts in literature, theatre, history, law and religion analyze the complex contexts of Middleton's works, clarifying debates over his religious and political affiliations. Divided into sections presenting new interpretations of the world in which Middleton wrote - as a Londoner, citizen, dramatist and early modern man - and concluding with a section on performance history, the essays cover the full range of his works, from the frequently performed to the newest attributions.

Middleton timeline Tripthi Pillai
Introduction Suzanne Gossett
Part I. Middleton and the London Context: 1. Thomas Middleton, chronologer of his time Mark Hutchings
2. Middleton's comedy and the geography of London Darryll Grantley
3. The Puritan Widow and the spatial arts of Middleton's urban drama Andrew Gordon
4. The populations of London Ian Munro
5. Domestic life in Jacobean London Catherine Richardson
6. Life and death in Middleton's London Elizabeth Furdell
7. The city's money: made, lost, stolen, lent, invested Aaron W. Kitch
8. Trade, work, and workers Natasha Korda
9. Supplying the city Ceri Sullivan
10. Celebrating the city Karen Newman
11. Violence and the city Jennifer Low
12. Middleton and the law Subha Mukherji
Part II. The National and International Context: 13. The court Alastair Bellany
14. States and their pawns: political tensions from the Armada to the Thirty Years War Thomas Cogswell
15. Religious identities Ian Archer
16. The obsession with Spain Trudi Darby
Part III. The Theatrical Context: 17. The social cartography of Middleton's theatres Andrew Gurr
18. The boys' plays and the boy players David Kathman
19. The adult companies and the dynamics of commerce Roslyn L. Knutson
20. The theatre and political control Janet Clare
21. Music on the Jacobean stage Linda Austern
Part IV. The Context and Conditions of Authorship: 22. Middleton and 'modern use': case studies in the language of A Chaste Maid in Cheapside Sylvia Adamson with Hannah Kirby, Laurence Peacock and Elizabeth Pearl
23. Collaboration: the shadow of Shakespeare James Bednarz
24. Collaboration: sustained Heather Hirschfeld
25. Collaboration: Middleton and the determination of authorship Eric Rasmussen
26. Middleton and dramatic genre Suzanne Gossett
27. Writing outside the theatre Alison A. Chapman
28. Medieval remains in Middleton's writings Anke Bernau
Part V. Social and Psychological Contexts: 29. Gender and sexuality Caroline Bicks
30. Women's life stages: maid, wife, widow (whore) Jennifer Panek
31. Playing, disguise, and identity Farah Karim-Cooper
32. Drugs, remedies, poisons, and the theatre Tanya Pollard
33. Middleton and the supernatural Michael Neill
34. 'Distracted measures': madness and theatricality in Middleton Carol Thomas Neely
Part VI. Afterlives: 35. Invisible Middleton and the bibliographical context Sonia Massai
36. Afterlives: stages and beyond Diana E. Henderson
37. Middleton in the cinema Pascale Aebischer
38. Middleton's presence Simon Palfrey
Works cited.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG], Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800 [DSBD], Literary theory [DSA], Theatre studies [AN]