Discoveries on the Early Modern Stage
eBook - PDF

Discoveries on the Early Modern Stage

Contexts and Conventions

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Discoveries on the Early Modern Stage

Contexts and Conventions

About this book

This study of the action of discovery as plot device, visual motif, and thematic trope on the early modern stage considers an important and popular performance convention in its cultural and religious contexts. Through close examination of a number of 'discoveries' taken from a wide range of early modern plays, Leslie Thomson traverses several related disciplines, including theatre history, literary analysis, art history, and the history of the religious practices that would have influenced Shakespeare and his contemporaries. Taking as its primary focus the performance of disguise-discoveries and discovery scenes, the analyses include considerations of how this particular device relates to genre, plot structure, language, imagery, themes, and the manipulation of playgoer expectations. With strong reference to the visual arts, and an appendix that addresses the problem of how and where discovery scenes were performed, Thomson offers an innovative perspective on the staging and meaning of early modern drama.

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Yes, you can access Discoveries on the Early Modern Stage by Leslie Thomson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & English Literary Criticism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title page
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright page
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. List of Figures
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. Introduction
  10. Chapter 1 Kinds and Uses
  11. Chapter 2 Time and Truth
  12. Chapter 3 Religious Rites and Secular Spectacle
  13. Chapter 4 Revelation and Belief
  14. Chapter 5 Private Places and Hidden Spaces
  15. Chapter 6 Invention and Artifice
  16. Appendix Was There a Central Opening in the Tiring House Wall?
  17. Bibliography
  18. Index