Ben Jonson and the Politics of Genre [Hardcover]

This book considers how Ben Jonson threaded his political views into the various literary genres in which he wrote.This study considers how Jonson threaded his political views into the various literary genres in which he wrote. Renowned scholars offer perspectives on many of Jonson's major works, and together they reassess his political life in Jacobean and Caroline Britain.This study considers how Jonson threaded his political views into the various literary genres in which he wrote. Renowned scholars offer perspectives on many of Jonson's major works, and together they reassess his political life in Jacobean and Caroline Britain.While Ben Jonsons political visions have been well documented, this is the first study to consider how he threaded his views into the various literary genres in which he wrote. For Jonson, these genres were interactive and mutually affirming, necessary for negotiating the tempestuous politics of early modern society, and here some of the most renowned Jonson scholars provide a collection of essays that discuss his use of genre. They present new perspectives on many of Jonsons major works, from his epigrams and epistles, through to his Roman tragedies and satirical plays like Volpone. Other topics examined include Jonsons diverse representations of monarchy, his ambiguous celebrations of European commonwealths, his sexual politics, and his engagement with the issues of republicanism. These essays represent the forefront of critical thinking on Ben Jonson, and offer a timely reassessment of the authors political life in Jacobean and Caroline Britain.Introduction A. D. Cousins and Alison V. Scott; 1. Feigning the commonwealth: Jonson's 'Epigrams' A. D. Cousins; 2. The Jonsonian masque and the politics of decorum Alison V. Scott; 3. The politics (and pairing) of Jonson's country house poems Robert C. Evans; 4. Style, versatility and the politics of the epistles John Roe; 5. Jonson's politics of gender and genre: Mary Wroth and 'Charis' Marl0