The Theatre in the Middle Ages

The present volume offers a collection of studies intended to give an overall picture of the International Colloquium on Medieval Theatre organized by the Instituut voor Middeleeuwse Studies of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The reader will probably remark upon the fact that studies on medieval drama are as flourishing and diversified as their object itself once was. From liturgical drama to pageant, from nativity play to mystery, from latin comedy to 'sottie', morality and farce, one discovers here the various aspects of an output that covers more than five centuries. This selection hopefully represents a cross-section of contemporary work in the field. As methods evolve and ways of reading change, the subject reveals itself as something for ever old and new. Thus a number of contributors emphasize a formal approach. Both the analysis of a dramatic production as a structured entity--from the larger viewpoint of scenic organization right down to the level of verse or even rime--and as an actual performance, continue to shed valuable light on the theatrical event in its generic and historical context.