Family and the state in early modern revenge drama : economies of vengeance / Chris McMahon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McMahon, Chris, 1962 June 8-

Contributor:

Horace Howard Furness Memorial Library (University of Pennsylvania)

Series:

Routledge studies in Renaissance literature and culture ; 19.

Routledge studies in Renaissance literature and culture ; 19

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English drama--Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600--History and criticism.

English drama.

English drama--17th century--History and criticism.

Revenge in literature.

Families in literature.

Politics in literature.

Physical Description:

250 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2012.

Summary:

In this book, McMahon considers Early Modern revenge plays from a political science perspective, paying particular attention to the construction of family and state institutions. Plays set for close study are The Spanish Tragedy, Hamlet, The Revenger 's Tragedy, The Malcontent and The Duchess of Malfi. The plays are read as unique events occupying positions in historical process concerning the privatisation of the family (by means of symbolism and concrete household strategies such as budgeting and surveillance) and the subsequent appropriation of the family and its methods by the state. The effect is that family becomes an unofficial organ of the state. This process, however, also involves the reform of the state along lines demanded by the private family. McMahon 's critical method, derived from the theory of Bourdieu, Bataille, and Girard, maps capital transactions to reveal emotionally charged, often idiosyncratic responses to issues of shared concern. Such issues include state corruption, the management of women, the performance of roles according to gender, the uses of surveillance, and the ethics of sacrifice.

Contents:

Introduction

Family and judiciary in The Spanish tragedy

Competition and grace in Hamlet

Surveillance and consumption in The revenger's tragedy

Education and autocracy in The malcontent

Meritocratic reform in The Duchess of Malfi

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415807753

0415807751

OCLC:

738351723