Worlds Apart: The Market and the Theater in Anglo-American Thought, 1550-1750

by Jean-Christophe Agnew

An analysis of how changes in the market culture's identity were reflected in the theater world as British and American marketing practices began to break free of traditional boundaries.

"It is impossible to illustrate here the width and depth of Agnew's insights. They cover carnival and festive celebrations generally, the peasants' revolt of 1381, courtesy books, rogue literature, character books, Francis Bacon, John Bulwer's theory of gesture as the universal communicative medium…Hobbes (a key figure in Agnew's thesis), Addison, Shaftesbury, and Adam Smith's common-sense philosophy. This appears to be Professor Agnew's first book. It is a remarkable achievement." - Christopher Hill, English Historical Review

Genres: History, Drama

278 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 1986

Reviews

[Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agnew has an argument that's similar to Greenblatt's Self-Fashioning, except instead of attempting the argument via specific 16th century personalities, he looks to the emergence of wealth and liquidity, as accumulated through the evolution of the marketplace. And he looks to the role of literature in recording the expected roles people would take on given their circumstances. In this light, Agnew shows himself more interested in the sweep of history than individual biographies. Ultimately, I would say read both.

[Aidan Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An astonishing read. Very fascinating work gathered, especially about the conflict between Puritan censors and actors. Some of the prose was pretty snoozy. Seamless, and I highly recommend for theatre history lovers.