Synopses & Reviews
Why was England the only country in Europe to maintain an all-male public theatre in the Renaissance? Stephen Orgel uses this question as the starting point of a fresh and stimulating exploration of the representation of gender in Elizabethan drama and society. Why were boys used to play female roles in drama, and how did such cross-dressing impact on the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries? What was the place of women in the Renaissance theatre, either on the stage or in the audience? And what did society make of those women who significantly and successfully violated accepted gender boundaries? At once provocative and witty, lucid and stylish, Impersonations will reshape our understanding of the Renaissance theatre, and make us rethink our own inadequate categories of gender, power and sexuality.
Review
"...the book is highly recommended for theater history, literature, and gender-studies collections. Detailed endnotes include many useful bibliographical references." J.W. Lafler, Choice
Synopsis
A provocative exploration of gender in the Renaissance, from theatrical cross-dressing to cultural subversion.
Synopsis
Why was England the only country in Europe to maintain an all-male public theater in the Renaissance? Stephen Orgel uses this question as the starting point of a fresh and stimulating exploration of the representation of gender in Elizabethan drama and society. At once provocative and witty, lucid and stylish, Impersonations will reshape our understanding of the Renaissance theater, and make us rethink our own inadequate categories of gender, power and sexuality.
Synopsis
Why was England the only country in Europe to maintain an all-male public theatre in the Renaissance? This question prompts Stephen Orgel's exploration of the representation of gender in Elizabethan drama and society. At once provocative and witty, lucid and stylish, Impersonations reshapes our understanding of Renaissance theatre and culture.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 154-172) and index.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction; 2. The performance of desire; 3. The eye of the beholder; 4. Call me Ganymede; 5. Masculine apparel; 6. Mankind witches; 7. Visible figures.