The English Mystery Plays

The English Mystery Plays PDF

Author: Rosemary Woolf

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 1980-01-01

Total Pages: 452

ISBN-13: 9780520040816

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This important new study of the English mystery plays has a twofold purpose. It is concerned to investigate the antecedents of the four extant cycles and to demonstrate the dramatic value of the plays themselves The opening and concluding chapters place the plays in their historical context by discussing on the one hand the emergence and achievements of genuine religious drama (as opposed to liturgical drama) in the twelfth century and on the other the changes in taste that threw the plays into disrepute in the sixteenth century. The man part of the book analyzes the plays in detail, considering the iconographic and theological traditions that guided the dramatists in their treatment of biblical subject-matter, and also looking at the Continental drama of the time to find out what other dramatic possibilities were open to writers in the Middle Ages. -- From publisher's description.

The Myth of the Goddess

The Myth of the Goddess PDF

Author: Anne Baring

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 1993-03-25

Total Pages: 798

ISBN-13: 0141941405

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A comprehensive, scholarly accessible study, in which the authors draw upon poetry and mythology, art and literature, archaeology and psychology to show how the myth of the goddess has been lost from our formal Judeo-Christian images of the divine. They explain what happened to the goddess, when, and how she was excluded from western culture, and the implications of this loss.

Female Mourning and Tragedy in Medieval and Renaissance English Drama

Female Mourning and Tragedy in Medieval and Renaissance English Drama PDF

Author: Katharine Goodland

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 1351936646

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Grieving women in early modern English drama, this study argues, recall not only those of Classical tragedy, but also, and more significantly, the lamenting women of medieval English drama, especially the Virgin Mary. Looking at the plays of Shakespeare, Kyd, and Webster, this book presents a new perspective on early modern drama grounded upon three original interrelated points. First, it explores how the motif of the mourning woman on the early modern stage embodies the cultural trauma of the Reformation in England. Second, the author here brings to light the extent to which the figures of early modern drama recall those of the recent medieval past. Finally, Goodland addresses how these representations embody actual mourning practices that were viewed as increasingly disturbing after the Reformation. Female Mourning and Tragedy in Medieval and Renaissance English Drama synthesizes and is relevant to several areas of recent scholarly interest, including the performance of gender, the history of emotion, studies of death and mourning, and the cultural trauma of the Reformation.

This Is My Body

This Is My Body PDF

Author: Michal Andrzej Kobialka

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2009-12-22

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0472024361

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The recipient of the annual Award for Outstanding Book in Theatre Practice and Pedagogy from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, This Is My Body realigns representational practices in the early Middle Ages with current debates on the nature of representation. Michal Kobialkai's study views the medieval concept of representation as having been in flux and crossed by different modes of seeing, until it was stabilized by the constitutions of the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. Kobialka argues that the concept of representation in the early Middle Ages had little to do with the tradition that considers representation in terms of Aristotle or Plato; rather, it was enshrined in the interpretation of Hoc est corpus meum [This is my body] -- the words spoken by Christ to the apostles at the Last Supper -- and in establishing the visibility of the body of Christ that had disappeared from view. Michal Kobialka is Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota.

The Oxford Handbook of Mary

The Oxford Handbook of Mary PDF

Author: Chris Maunder

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2019-08-07

Total Pages: 736

ISBN-13: 0192511149

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Oxford Handbook of Mary offers an interdisciplinary guide to Marian Studies, including chapters on textual, literary, and media analysis; theology; Church history; art history; studies on devotion in a variety of forms; cultural history; folk tradition; gender analysis; apparitions and apocalypticism. Featuring contributions from a distinguished group of international scholars, the Handbook looks at both Eastern and Western perspectives and attempts to correct imbalance in previous books on Mary towards the West. The volume also considers Mary in Islam and pilgrimages shared by Christian, Muslim, and Jewish adherents. While Mary can be a source of theological disagreement, this authoritative collection shows Mary's rich potential for inter-faith and inter-denominational dialogue and shared experience. It covers a diverse number of topics that show how Mary and Mariology are articulated within ecclesiastical contexts but also on their margins in popular devotion. Newly-commissioned essays describe some of the central ideas of Christian Marian thought, while also challenging popularly-held notions. This invaluable reference for students and scholars illustrates the current state of play in Marian Studies as it is done across the world.

Mary Magdalen

Mary Magdalen PDF

Author: Susan Haskins

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2011-09-30

Total Pages: 546

ISBN-13: 1446499421

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A dramatic, thought-provoking portrait of one of the most compelling figures in early Christianity which explores two thousand years of history, art, and literature to provide a close-up look at Mary Magdalen and her significance in religious and cultural thought.

Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs

Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs PDF

Author: Suzanne Evans

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0773560238

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Suzanne Evans finds commonalities between the many images of war mothers - the Canadian Silver Cross mother, the ancient Jewish Maccabean mother of seven martyred sons, the mother of a Palestinian suicide bomber. She compares the lore about mothers of martyrs in the Judeo-Christian, Muslim, and Sikh traditions with stories of World War I Canadian mothers who were depicted in the media as having sacrificed their sons for the sake of civilization, justice, freedom, and God. After the war these mothers were honoured with the Silver Cross medal. Evans argues that, like the mothers of past martyrs, the image of the war-supportive mother in Canada had a powerful influence over public opinion and drew supporters to the cause.

Reading Texts for Performance and Performances as Texts

Reading Texts for Performance and Performances as Texts PDF

Author: Pamela M. King

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-11-22

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 1000263894

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This volume brings together nineteen important articles by Pamela M. King, one of the foremost British scholars working on Early English Drama. Unique to this collection are five articles on the ‘living’ traditions of performances in Spain, discussing their origins and the modes of production that are used. Several articles use modern literary theory on aspects of early drama, whilst others consider drama in the context of late medieval poetry. The volume also includes a rich collection of articles on English scriptural plays from surviving manuscripts.