Gender, Theatre, and the Origins of Criticism
Author | : Marcie Frank |
Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
Total Pages | : 194 |
Release | : 2002-11-28 |
ISBN-10 | : 1139434888 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781139434881 |
Rating | : 4/5 (881 Downloads) |
Download or read book Gender, Theatre, and the Origins of Criticism written by Marcie Frank and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-11-28 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Gender, Theatre and the Origins of Criticism, Marcie Frank explores the theoretical and literary legacy of John Dryden to a number of prominent women writers of the time. Frank examines the pre-eminence of gender, sexuality and the theatre in Dryden's critical texts that are predominantly rewritings of the work of his own literary precursors - Ben Jonson, Shakespeare and Milton. She proposes that Dryden develops a native literary tradition that is passed on as an inheritance to his heirs - Aphra Behn, Catharine Trotter, and Delarivier Manley - as well as their male contemporaries. Frank describes the development of criticism in the transition from a court-sponsored theatrical culture to one oriented toward a consuming public, with very different attitudes to gender and sexuality. This study also sets out to trace the historical origins of certain aspects of current criticism - the practices of paraphrase, critical self-consciousness and performativity.