Shakespeare the Bodger : Ingenuity, Imitation and the Arts of the Winter's Tale / Joel B. Altman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Altman, Joel B., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art--Vocational guidance.

Art.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (vii, 232 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Edinburgh, Scotland : Edinburgh University Press Ltd, [2023]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Drawing inspiration from Robert Greene's deathbed attack on Shakespeare as 'an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers,' 'The Bodger' (Elizabethan variant of 'botcher,' 'mender,' 'patcher') argues that Shakespeare's dramas are compositions of 'shreds and patches' pieced together by a mind of extraordinary synthetic acuity. Such patches include passages of dialogue that, as described in the sixteenth-century, 'lead objects before our eyes' by means of ekphrasis. The book offers substantial art-historical research into the only visual artist named by Shakespeare, Giulio Romano - who performs an important role in 'The Winter's Tale' as the alleged sculptor of a statue of the dead Queen. Giulio, heir to Raphael's workshop, is known primarily as a painter and architect. This research reveals he was also a designer of sculpture. Applying historical and theoretical materials to close readings of several plays, the focus is on the most critical issues of 'The Winter's Tale' - King Leontes' sudden fit of jealousy; Shakespeare's introduction of a surrogate playwright in the personification of Time, who refashions the play from tragedy to comedy, assisted by a behind-the-scenes female ghost writer; and the Queen's statue amazingly 'coming to life' through an interactive declaration of faith.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Prologue: Introducing Shakespeare the Bodger

1. Shakespeare's Ingenuity: Humanism, Materialism, and One Early Modern Self

2. "Your sorrow was too sore laid on": Portraying the Subject of Ekphrasis

3. Julio at the Crossroads: Sex and Transfiguration in the Court of Sicilia

4. What Did Hermione's Statue Look Like? The Four Ladies of Mantua and the Science of True Opinion

5. "A sad tale's best for winter," but for spring a comedy is better: Time, Turn, and Genre(s) in The Winter's Tale

Epilogue: Bodging Theatrical Faith

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 19 Oct 2023).

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-3995-0844-X

1-3995-0843-1

OCLC:

1367236639