Tradition and Subversion in Renaissance Literature
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Author Description
Deconstructionist critics have argued that literary works contain conflicting or contradictory meanings, thus creating an aporia, or impasse, that prevents readers from interpreting the work. Here, however, Murray Roston offers detailed and essentially new analyses of works by Shakespeare, Spenser, Jonson, and Donne, arguing that the seemingly contradictory presence of traditional and subversive elements in their major works actually creates the source of much of their literary achievement. Chapters explore The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, The Faerie Queene, Volpone, and the Meditations of John Donne, highlighting the creative tension between centripetal and centrifugal factors (borrowing Bakhtin's terms). As Roston demonstrates, this tension exists in a variety of genres, including poetry, epic and drama, and even in religious prose - which, he acknowledges, might be thought to be exempt from such inner conflict because of its doctrinal and theological focus.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the inherent tension between tradition and subversion in Renaissance literature. Murray Roston, drawing on deconstructionist theory, analyzes major works by Shakespeare, Spenser, Jonson, and Donne. He argues that the coexistence of traditional and subversive elements is not an impasse but the very source of these works' literary power. The analyses cover a range of genres, including drama, epic poetry, and religious prose, demonstrating how this creative tension operates across different forms.
THE SCOPE MAP
- Analysis of conflicting meanings in literary works, as argued by deconstructionist critics.
- Detailed new analyses of works by Shakespeare, Spenser, Jonson, and Donne.
- Exploration of the creative tension between centripetal (traditional) and centrifugal (subversive) factors, using Bakhtin's terminology.
- Specific chapters dedicated to 'The Merchant of Venice', 'Hamlet', 'The Faerie Queene', 'Volpone', and the 'Meditations of John Donne'.
- Examination of this tension across various genres: poetry, epic, drama, and religious prose.
- Argument that even seemingly doctrinal religious prose contains inner conflict.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
The book offers detailed analyses of canonical Renaissance works, focusing on the interplay between traditional and subversive elements. It engages with deconstructionist criticism to propose that this tension is a source of literary achievement rather than an interpretive impasse. The author's approach highlights the complexity within poetry, drama, and prose of the period. The work is positioned as a significant contribution to the understanding of Renaissance literary artistry.
Page Count:
258
Publication Date:
2007-01-01
ISBN-10:
0820703907
ISBN-13:
9780820703909
History
Non-Fiction
Literary theory
English literature
Literary Criticism
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