The Digby Play of Mary Magdalene is a rare surviving example of the Middle English saint play. Its origins and auspices remain unknown, but linguistic evidence situates the play in the now widely-recognized late medieval East Anglian dramatic tradition. Beyond its importance for the history of early English drama, the Digby Mary Magdalene provides a window on the deep embedding of biblical drama and performance in late medieval devotional practices, social aspiration and critique, and religious discourses. Taking full advantage of the saint's complex symbolism and rich resources of late medieval religious culture, the Digby Mary Magdalene play has attracted attention from scholars in a variety of disciplines. Yet until now an accessible, affordable edition of the play has been beyond their reach. Fully annotated and extensively glossed, this edition is an essential resource for the study of late medieval English religious drama.

About the Author
Theresa Coletti is Professor of English at the University of Maryland; she is the author of Naming the Rose: Eco, Medieval Signs, and Modern Theory and Mary Magdalene and the Drama of Saints: Theater, Gender, and Religion in Late Medieval England.

Reviews

This attractive edition by Theresa Coletti, an expert on medieval English drama and the author of a monograph on the play and its contexts, [1] may--I hope--kickstart a more general interest in this remarkable work, especially by historians of both English theater and gender and sexuality. . . . This is an excellent edition for graduates, and advanced scholars, and even for undergraduates. It is accessible, informative, scholarly, and completely reliable. --Ruth Evans, University of St. Louis

Book Information
ISBN 9781580442855
Author Theresa Coletti
Format Paperback
Page Count 196
Imprint Medieval Institute Publications
Publisher Medieval Institute Publications
Weight(grams) 425g