A Cultural History of Theatre in the Early Modern Age

by Robert Henke (Editor)

Overview

For both producers and consumers of theatre in the early modern era, art was viewed as a social rather than an individual activity. Emerging in the context of new capitalistic modes of production, the birth of the nation state and the rise of absolute monarchies, theatre also proved a highly mobile medium across geolinguistic boundaries. This volume provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of the cultural history of theatre from 1400 to 1650, and examines the socioeconomically heterodox nature of theatre and performance during this period.

Highly illustrated with 48 images, the ten chapters each take a different theme as their focus: institutional frameworks; social functions; sexuality and gender; the environment of theatre; circulation; interpretations; communities of production; repertoire and genres; technologies of performance; and knowledge transmission.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350135376
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/08/2019
Series:	The Cultural Histories Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Robert Henke is Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Washington University, St. Louis, USA.
Robert Henke is Professor of Drama and Comparative Literature, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the Washington University, St. Louis, USA.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Notes on Contributors

Series Preface

Editor's Acknowledgements

Introduction: Culture, Cultural History and Early Modern Theatre
Robert Henke, Washington University, USA

1 Institutional Frameworks: Mapping Theatrical Resources
Tom Bishop,University of Auckland, New Zealand and Robert Henke, Washington University, USA

2. Social Functions: Audience Participation, Efficacious Entertainment
Erika T. Lin, The City University of New York, USA

3. Sexuality and Gender: The Early Modern Theatrical Body
Eric Nicholson, Syracuse University in Florence, Italy

4. The Environment of Theatre: Urbanization and Theatre Building in Early Modern Europe
Karen Newman, Brown University, USA

5. Circulation: Aristocratic, Commercial, Religious and Artistic Networks
Pavel Drábek, University of Hull, UK

6. Interpretations: Antitheatrical Thinking and the Rise of 'Theatre'
Stefan Hulfeld, University of Vienna, Austria

7. Communities of Production: Lives in and out of the Theatre
William N. West, Northwestern University, USA

8. Repertoire and Genre: Culture and Society
Friedemann Kreuder, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

9. Technologies of Performance: From Mystery Plays to the Italian Order
Blair Hoxby, Stanford, USA

10 Knowledge Transmission: Theatre at the Crossroads of Concept, Medium and Practice
Ellen MacKay, Indidana University, USA

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

Not since the Cambridge History of American Theatre (1998–2000) has a multiauthored theatre history been as anticipated as Bloomsbury's A Cultural History of Theatre… Having read all six volumes (1,636 pages), I can testify to the magnitude of their accomplishment. A Cultural History of Theatre is a profound reconsideration of how we understand theatre, its myriad social contexts, and the cultural work it accomplishes… the product of intellectual labor and creativity, and its accomplishments are many. A landmark work in theatre and social history, it illuminates theatre through the lens of culture, and culture through the lens of theatre.” —Theatre Survey

“All six volumes are aesthetically attractive, with well-chosen cover illustrations in color and numerous halftones throughout. Page layouts with wide margins, good paper, subtitles, generous bibliographies, notes, and index all add to the appeal. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.” —CHOICE

From the Publisher