Satire in the Elizabethan Era: An Activistic Art

Description

This book argues that the satire of the late Elizabethan period goes far beyond generic rhetorical persuasion, but is instead intentionally engaged in a literary mission of transideological "perceptual translation." This reshaping of cultural orthodoxies is interpreted in this study as both authentic and "activistic" in the sense that satire represents a purpose-driven attempt to build a consensual community devoted to genuine socio-cultural change. The book includes explorations of specific ideologically stabilizing satires produced before the Bishops’ Ban of 1599, as well as the attempt to return nihilistic English satire to a stabilizing theatrical form during the tumultuous end of the reign of Elizabeth I. Dr. Jones infuses carefully chosen, modern-day examples of satire alongside those of the Elizabethan Era, making it a thoughtful, vigorous read. About the Author Dr. William R. Jones is an Associate Professor of English at Murray State University Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Acknowledgments 1 Satire, History, and Ideology 2 Satire and Empire: The Ideological Encoding of English Renaissance Imitative Satire 3 Satire Unleashed: The Rise of Juvenalianism and the Bishops’ Ban of 1599 4 Anti-Feminist Satire and the Bishops’ Ban 5 Shakespearean Satire: Redux Index