IMC 2015: Sessions
Session 904: Reform and Renewal: New Directions in Early Drama Research - A Round Table Discussion
Tuesday 7 July 2015, 19.00-20.00
| Sponsor: | Medieval English Theatre / Early English Drama & Performance Network |
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| Organiser: | Clare Wright, School of English, University of Kent |
| Moderator/Chair: | Alexandra F. Johnston, Records of Early English Drama, University of Toronto, Downtown |
| Abstract | The last forty years have seen tremendous change and innovation in medieval drama research. During this time the field has gradually moved from the margins to hold a more central position in medieval studies, has shifted its focus from drama-as-text to drama-as-performance and in doing so has proven the importance of performance to medieval European culture. The field has also been subject to many theoretical reforms as scholars seek out new approaches to the often fragmentary extant source materials, and yet, with a new wave of early drama scholars, there has also been a renewal of more traditional scholarship and a return to analysing early playtexts as literary objects, operating within a medieval reading, as well as a performance, culture. Given Medieval English Theatre's recent official constitution as a Society, the IMC 2015 provides an opportune moment in which to bring together scholars at all stages of their careers to discuss current trends in and new approaches to medieval and Tudor drama, to think about how far the field has advanced and its future directions. Participants include Elisabeth Dutton (Université de Fribourg), Tamara Haddad (University of Kent), Peter Happé (University of Southampton), Pamela King (University of Glasgow), Laura Elizabeth Rice (University of Bristol), and Meg Twycross (Lancaster University). |