Vision and Audience in Medieval Drama: A Study of The Castle of Perseverance

by Andrea Louise Young

Overview

The earliest complete morality play in English, The Castle of Perseverance depicts the culture of medieval East Anglia, a region once known for its production of artistic objects. Discussing the spectator experience of this famed play, Young argues that vision is the organizing principle that informs this play's staging, structure, and narrative.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781137465597
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	09/29/2015
Series:	The New Middle Ages
Edition description:	1st ed. 2015
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Andrea Young is Lecturer at the University of Liverpool Continuing Education program.

Table of Contents

1. Vision, Visuality, and the Audience
2. Staging The Castle of Perseverance
3. Angelic Visions
4. The Castle of Light
5. Vision and Visuality: The Battle of the Banners
6. The End of Play and the Gaze of God
Appendix A: Plotting the play - explanatory notes
Appendix B: Plotting out the play on the ground

Editorial Reviews

"While recovering the experiences of individual spectators from this period is virtually impossible, Young's book draws on a wide range of evidence - the play text itself, the manuscript's staging diagram, modern 'historical' performances and the reviews they attracted, modern critical theory, practical experimentation, medieval art, and texts on optics and the theology of vision - to construct the dynamic of spectatorship which the play exploits. This is an imaginative and sustained piece of analysis, underpinned by extensive reading." - John J McGavin, Professor of English, University of Southampton, UK

From the Publisher