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Renaissance Drama by Women: Texts and Documents
Renaissance Drama By Women is a unique volume of plays and documents. For the first time, it demonstrates the wide range of theatrical activity in which women were involved during the Renaissance period. It includes full-length plays, a translated fragment by Queen Elizabeth I, a masque, and a substantial number of historical documents. With full and up-to-date accompanying critical material, this collection of texts is an exciting and invaluable resource for use in both the classroom and research.
Special features introduced by the editors
* introductory material to each play
* modernized spellings
* extensive notes and annotations
* biographical essays on each playwright
* a complete bibliography
Methodically and authoritatively edited by S.P. Cerasano and Marion Wynne-Davies, Renaissance Drama by Women is a true breakthrough for the study of women's literature and performance.
Special features introduced by the editors
* introductory material to each play
* modernized spellings
* extensive notes and annotations
* biographical essays on each playwright
* a complete bibliography
Methodically and authoritatively edited by S.P. Cerasano and Marion Wynne-Davies, Renaissance Drama by Women is a true breakthrough for the study of women's literature and performance.
252 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 27, 2020
As I read the plays:
Love’s Victory *** -- A pastoral play is a rare and a difficult thing. It is a light and whimsical work, and often topical, referencing people in the audience watching the original performance. Therefore, it’s lasting power is limited. In general the pastoral arts -- poetry, music and drama -- have not endured the thrumming of time very well. (Artwork has survived in a little better condition.)
Tasso’s wonderful Aminta is the rare example of a pastoral play that is still a fascinating work today for the sheer beauty and lightness of its poetry. (The Charles Jernigan and Irene Marchegiani Jones translation in English is outstanding.) But it is rare.
Lady Mary Wroth’s play is more typical of pastoral works. To us moderns, they are labored, somewhat stiff and dated. This play suffers from being a bit too long with too much going on. It features, after all, at least four couples, all pining and complaining about their lovers. It all gets to be rather deafening.
After four (long) acts, all the lovers are (finally) suitably matched with their fellow. Then out of nowhere the fifth act comes in and the play takes a sudden left turn. The one lover’s mother has promised her to someone else. That starts a whole suicide pact/fake death plot which winds down to its predictable end. This would be better as two separate plays.
I don’t want to sound too negative. As I noted, a pastoral play is an exceedingly difficult thing to do well. There is some charming dialogue and songs. If you are interested in drama history or pastoral works of art, this is worth reading. For the average literature lover, you could find better things to read.
Love’s Victory *** -- A pastoral play is a rare and a difficult thing. It is a light and whimsical work, and often topical, referencing people in the audience watching the original performance. Therefore, it’s lasting power is limited. In general the pastoral arts -- poetry, music and drama -- have not endured the thrumming of time very well. (Artwork has survived in a little better condition.)
Tasso’s wonderful Aminta is the rare example of a pastoral play that is still a fascinating work today for the sheer beauty and lightness of its poetry. (The Charles Jernigan and Irene Marchegiani Jones translation in English is outstanding.) But it is rare.
Lady Mary Wroth’s play is more typical of pastoral works. To us moderns, they are labored, somewhat stiff and dated. This play suffers from being a bit too long with too much going on. It features, after all, at least four couples, all pining and complaining about their lovers. It all gets to be rather deafening.
After four (long) acts, all the lovers are (finally) suitably matched with their fellow. Then out of nowhere the fifth act comes in and the play takes a sudden left turn. The one lover’s mother has promised her to someone else. That starts a whole suicide pact/fake death plot which winds down to its predictable end. This would be better as two separate plays.
I don’t want to sound too negative. As I noted, a pastoral play is an exceedingly difficult thing to do well. There is some charming dialogue and songs. If you are interested in drama history or pastoral works of art, this is worth reading. For the average literature lover, you could find better things to read.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review