All entries for Friday 23 October 2009

Next Week: Court Masques

Preparation for Next Week:

The reading in bold type is a compulsory part of the course and everything else is optional but highly recommended.

Please read the Ben Jonson’s ‘Masque of Blackness’ in the Norton Anthology and the ‘Masque of Beauty’ (PDF on course website: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/undergraduate/current/modules/fulllist/second/en228/handouts/). The introduction to ‘Blackness’ (in the anthology) is very useful so make sure you read that as well.

Points to think about:

- Masques were primarily intended to reflect and praise the virtues of the monarchy. Can you detect any ways in which Jonson subverts this?
- How do the two masques relate to one another? What themes are carried over? How has the passage of time effected the way certain ideas/images are used?
- Think about the significance of the court setting for the performance of the masques. In what ways does this influence the content or style of each text?
- Queen Anne is an important figure for, and in, these masques. Think about the ways in which her influence is manifested in the different texts. If you want to know more about her, the Dictionary of National Biography is a good place to start.

Useful secondary reading:

On the masque genre:
- Stephen Orgel, The Illusion of Power: Political Theater in the English Renaissance (1975).
- Martin Butler, ‘Courtly Negotiations’, in David Bevington and Peter Holbrook ed., The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque (1999).

For illustrations of the sets and costumes used in masques see: http://www.shafe.co.uk/art/early_stuart_10_-_the_caroline_court.asp

Alice Eardley : 23 Oct 2009 10:50 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem