Four Middle English Mystery Cycles

Textual, Contextual, and Critical Interpretations

Martin Stevens

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780691609614, 9780691637860
• eBook ISBN: 9781400858729
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Martin Stevens examines the four extant complete cycles of Middle English mystery plays in light of the most recent research on the manuscripts, sources, and records relating to the medieval drama. The first comprehensive treatment of all four of the cycles, the book emphasizes the study of the surviving manuscripts as texts distinct from their performance history.

Originally published in 1987.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• Textual Note
• Introduction
• 1 The York Cycle: City as Stage
• 2 The Wakefield Cycle: The Playwright as Poet
• 3 The N-Town Cycle: Dramatic Structure, Typology, and the Multiple Plot
• 4 The Chester Cycle: The Sense of an Ending
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Index