Politics and Political Culture in the Court Masque

James Knowles is Professor of Renaissance Literature and Culture at Brunel University, UK. He has edited the entertainments and selected masques for the Cambridge Works of Ben Jonson.

"This monograph is a remarkable achievement both for the originality of its approach to the study of the masque and for the breadth of scholarship that is required to meet the demands of that approach." (Richard Allen Cave, Early Theatre, Vol. 19 (1), June, 2016) "Politics and Political Culture in the Court Masque is a splendid achievement. It succeeds in bringing the reader closer to the people who once shaped masquing occasions. The book reveals fascinating glimpses of family ties and political loyalties. Knowles's forte is his extensive knowledge of archives, which enables him to trace rare copies of masque texts and their provenance. ... Masque booklets travelled widely within Britain and abroad; they were read by provincial gentlemen, academics, and antiquarians." (Barbara Ravelhofer, Review of English Studies, Vol. 67, June, 2016) "This interesting study explores the political culture of the Jacobean and Caroline masques and their relationship to the articulation of political criticism. ... Knowles's book will appeal to those interested in early modern English literature and culture. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." (C. S. Cox, Choice, Vol. 53 (8), April, 2016)

• List of Illustrations 1. Introduction: 'Friends of all Ranks?' Reading the Masque in Political Culture 2. 'Vizarded impudence': challenging the regnum Cecilianum 3. Crack Kisses Not Staves: sexual politics and court masques in 1613-14 4. 'No News': News from the New World and Textual Culture in the 1620s 5. 'Hoarse with Praising': Gypsies Metamorphosed and the politics of masquing 6. 'Tis for kings, / Not for their subjects, to have such rare things': The Triumph of Peace and Civil Culture Bibliography Index