Constructing Monsters In Shakespearean Drama And Early Modern Culture; Author: Burnett, Mark Thornton; Hardback; Book

Author: Burnett, Mark Thornton
Early Modern Literature in History; Hardback; Book; Illustrations, Bibliography, Index
272 pages
Published: October 2002
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 0333914341

Constructing 'Monsters' in Shakespearean Drama and Early Modern Culture argues for the crucial place of the 'monster' in the early modern imagination. The author traces the metaphorical significance of 'monstrous' forms across a range of early modern exhibition spaces - fairground displays, 'cabinets of curiosity' and court entertainments - to contend that the 'monster' finds its most intriguing manifestation in the investments and practices of contemporary theater. The study's new readings of Shakespeare, Marlowe, and Jonson make a powerful case for the drama's contribution to debates about the 'extraordinary body'.Tracing the metaphorical significance of monstrous forms across a range of early modern exhibition spaces - fairground displays, cabinets of curiosity and court entertainments - this text argues for the crucial place of the monster in the early modern imagination.