Richard Beadle – författare

The Paston family papers provide an incomparable picture of life in fifteenth-century England, and richly illustrate the resources of the language at an important period. They have long been consulted by historians and other students of the fifteenth century for their information about social history and politics, both within East Anglia and also nationally. The authoritative edition of Parts 1 and 2 by Professor Norman Davis was published by the Clarendon Press in 1971 (Part 1) and 1976 (Part 2), and was reissued with corrections by EETS in 2004. Part 3, edited by Dr Richard Beadle and Professor Colin Richmond, completes the series planned by Professor Davis before his death. It contains the remaining texts with indexes to all three parts.

This volume offers 22 of the central pageants which make up York's famous Corpus Christi cycle. The York cycle is the oldest and best-known of the English mystery cycles, and its depth and scope are reflected in the selection printed here. The shape of the cycle was governed by subject matter of enduring spiritual significance, both to its contemporary audience and in later literary and artistic tradition, and the selection reflects these concerns. Included are plays on the Creation, the Fall of Man, the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ, and the Last Judgement. The Passion sequence has been expanded by six of the eight plays generally attributed to the great poetic dramatist known as the York Realist: the authentic text of these plays is not otherwise available in paperback. As well as providing detailed annotation, this edition offers an introduction which examines the history of the cycle and discusses the immensely popular modern productions in York and elsewhere. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The definitive scholarly edition of The York Plays, first published in 1982, and now reissued with significant additional material, revised and updated in two volumes. Volume 1 contains the Introduction and Text, with an appendix containing the musical settings accompanying the plays; Volume 2 (to be published in 2010) will contain the Explanatory Notes and Glossary. The cycle of theY ork Mystery Plays: the cycle of religious dramas on biblical subjects, ranging from the creation through the life and passion of Jesus Christ to the Last Judgement, is one of the great literary and theatrical monuments of the later Middle Ages in English. The plays were financed by merchants and master craftsmen and their guilds, and they express not only the essential theological and devotional beliefs of the time, but also the wealth, prestige, and economic vitality of the medieval city of York.

This is the second volume to complete this definitive scholarly edition of the York Plays. It supersedes this editor's previous edition (of the text only), published in the York Medieval Texts Series in 1982. Volume 2 offers an entirely new, full commentary and glossary to facilitate study of the revised and corrected text (published with the Introduction in volume 1), and incorporating the most recent scholarly views and discoveries. The York Plays, a cycle of religious dramas on Biblical subjects, ranging from the Creation through the life and Passion of Christ, to the Last Judgement, are one of the great literary and theatrical monuments of the later Middle Ages in English. They were financed by merchants and master craftsmen and their guilds, and expressed not only the essential theological land devotional beliefs of their time, but also the wealth, prestige, and economic vitality of medieval York.

The drama of the English Middle Ages is perennially popular with students and theatre audiences alike, and this is an updated edition of a book which has established itself as a standard guide to the field. The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre, second edition continues to provide an authoritative introduction and an up-to-date, illustrated guide to the mystery cycles, morality drama and saints' plays which flourished from the late fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth centuries. The book emphasises regional diversity in the period and engages with the literary and particularly the theatrical values of the plays. Existing chapters have been revised and updated where necessary, and there are three entirely new chapters, including one on the cultural significance of early drama. A thoroughly revised reference section includes a guide to scholarship and criticism, an enlarged classified bibliography and a chronological table.