Essays on festive drama - plays, pageantry and traditional ceremonies - of the European middle ages, with comparative material. Festive drama, in these studies, includes processions and folk-customs as well as full-blown plays, from Spain, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Britain, Denmark, and Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). The main focus is the middleages, but style and approach are as relevant as time-scale, reflecting a culture in which there are no firm divisions between drama and pageantry and traditional ceremonies. Common themes emerge: the world turned upside-down of Shrovetide; the emotive power of religious celebration; and the links between commerce and the demonstration of civic pride. Festive customs are viewed as hidden agendas of popular culture, and performances are reconstructed. Thisis the obverse of art and power: the means by which the people, not the princes, rule the world. Professor MEG TWYCROSS teaches at the Department of English at Lancaster University. Contributors: PETER H. GREENFIELD, OLGA HORNER, SHEILA LINDENBAUM, CLAIRE SPONSLER, RONALD E. SURTZ, RAFAEL PORTILLO, MANUEL J. GOMEZ LARA, PAMELA M. KING, ROBERT POTTER, JOHN CARTWRIGHT, DAVID MILLS, JAMES STOKES, ALAN E. KNIGHT, MARJOKE DE ROOS, FEMKE KRAMER, TOM PETTITT, LEIF SNDERGAARD, WIM HUESKEN, JEAN-MARC PASTREE, SALLY-BETH MACLEAN, MALCOLM JONES, CHRISTINE RICHARDSON, JARMILA F. VELTRUSKY, JOHN COLDEWEY.

About the Author
MEG TWYCROSS is professor Emeritus of English Medieval Studies at University of Lancaster MEG TWYCROSS is professor Emeritus of English Medieval Studies at University of Lancaster

Reviews
A wide variety of critical approaches...focus on the plays and entertainments written for and performed on festive occasions in Spain, England, and northern continental Europe generally from the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries. Twycross's volume weaves a rich tapestry of life during the late middle ages and Renaissance [and] makes a valuable contribution to the study of drama and society in these periods. * REVIEW OF ENGLISH STUDIES *



Book Information
ISBN 9780859914963
Author Meg Twycross
Format Hardback
Page Count 294
Imprint D.S. Brewer
Publisher Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Weight(grams) 1g