Fools' Plays
A study of satire in the sottie
Heather Arden(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 1. May 1980
Book
Hardback
234 pages
978-0-521-22513-7 (ISBN)
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Description
The sottie was a short, comical play which flourished in France from about 1440 to 1560. Although a vital part of late medieval popular culture, this dramatic genre has received scant critical attention. In this study, Dr Arden adds to our understanding of the sottie by examining in detail the subjects satirised in the plays, the dramatic structure underlying this satire, the attitudes expressed by the plays, and their social function in late medieval France. Through an approach combining critical readings of the texts with historical study of class structure and its evolution in this period, she offers a fresh interpretation of a remarkable type of satire. In addition to analysing the undercurrent of class conflict in late medieval theatre, Dr Arden clarifies lower-class values of the period and suggests a reason for the widespread fascination with folly and the fool in the late Middle Ages.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
415 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-22513-7 (9780521225137)
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04/2011
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Additional editions

Book
04/2011
Cambridge University Press
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Shipment within 15-20 days
Content
Preface; Introduction; 1. The plays; 2. The origins and players of the sottie; 3. The sottie as drama; 4. Satire in the sottie; 5. The theme of social hierarchy in the sottie; 6. The importance of folly in the sottie; Appendix; Notes; Bibliography; Index.