Description
Book SynopsisJoost van den Vondel (1587-1679) was the most prolific poet and playwright of his age. During his long life, roughly coinciding with the Dutch Golden Age, he wrote over thirty tragedies. He was a famous figure in political and artistic circles of Amsterdam, a contemporary and acquaintance of Grotius and Rembrandt, and in general well acquainted with Latin humanists, Dutch scholars, authors and Amsterdam burgomasters. He fuelled literary, religious and political debates. His tragedy 'Gysbreght van Aemstel', which was played on the occasion of the opening of the stone city theatre in 1638, was to become the most famous play in Dutch history, and can probably boast holding the record for the longest tradition of annual performance in Europe. In general, Vondel’s texts are literary works in the full sense of the word, complex and inexhaustive; attracting attention throughout the centuries. Contributors include: Eddy Grootes, Riet Schenkeveld-van der Dussen, Mieke B. Smits-Veldt, Marijke Spies, Judith Pollmann, Bettina Noak, Louis Peter Grijp, Guillaume van Gemert, Jürgen Pieters, Nina Geerdink, Madeleine Kasten, Marco Prandoni, Peter Eversmann, Mieke Bal, Maaike Bleeker, Bennett Carpenter, James A. Parente, Jr., Stefan van der Lecq, Jan Frans van Dijkhuizen, Helmer Helmers, Kristine Steenbergh, Yasco Horsman, Jeanne Gaakeer, and Wiep van Bunge.
Trade Review“[This book] serves a dual purpose. It is the first comprehensive discussion of Vondel’s drama in English, and it offers a sampling of both more traditional and novel approaches. […] It brings Vondel’s large theatrical output to the attention of Anglophone readers, but does much more than that: by letting the light of theory shine on these plays, the book demonstrates just how rich, fresh, and valuable a writer Vondel remains.” Theo Hermans, University College London. In: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Spring 2013), pp. 345-347. “this volume manages to present Vondel’s dramatic oeuvre in all its breadth for an international audience. It is a work of reference on the one hand and a research laboratory and forum for debate on the other. To its credit, this volume features the whole spectrum of past and present research on Vondel’s plays and integrates representatives of different methodological and theoretical provenance.” Maria-Theresia Leuker, University of Cologne. In: Journal of Dutch Literature, Vol. 4, No. 2 (December 2013), pp. 92-102.
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 Vondel’s Dramas: A Chronological Survey Eddy Grootes and Riet Schenkeveld-van der Dussen Chapter 2 Vondel’s Works for the Stage Read and Studied Over the Centuries Riet Schenkeveld-van der Dussen Chapter 3 Vondel’s Dramas: Ways of Relating Present and Past Frans-Willem Korsten Part I – Vondel’s Life, Works and Times Chapter 4 Vondel’s Life Mieke B. Smits-Veldt and Marijke Spies Chapter 5 Vondel’s Religion Judith Pollmann Chapter 6 Vondel and Amsterdam Eddy Grootes Chapter 7 Vondel as a Dramatist: The Representation of Language and Body Bettina Noak Chapter 8 Vondel’s Theatre and Music Louis Peter Grijp and Jan Bloemendal Chapter 9 Vondel’s Dramas: Their Afterlife in Performance Mieke B. Smits-Veldt Chapter 10 Vondel’s Reception Abroad Guillaume van Gemert Part II – Approaches and Dramas Chapter 11 New Historicism – Hierusalem verwoest (1620) and the Jewish Question Jürgen Pieters Chapter 12 Politics and Aesthetics – Decoding Allegory in Palamedes (1625) Nina Geerdink Chapter 13 Translation Studies – Vondel’s Appropriation of Grotius’s Sophompaneas (1635) Madeleine Kasten Chapter 14 Intertextuality – Gysbreght van Aemstel (1637) Marco Prandoni Chapter 15 Dramaturgy – Staging Problems in Gysbreght van Aemstel (1637) Peter G.F. Eversmann Chapter 16 Cultural Analysis – Joseph Plays (1640) Mieke Bal, Maaike Bleeker, Bennett Carpenter and Frans-Willem Korsten Chapter 17 The Humanist Tradition – Maria Stuart (1646) James A. Parente Jr. and Jan Bloemendal Chapter 18 Deconstruction – Unsettling Peace in Leeuwendalers (1647) Stefan van der Lecq Chapter 19 Religion and Politics – Lucifer (1654) and Milton’s Paradise Lost (1674) Jan Frans van Dijkhuizen and Helmer Helmers Chapter 20 Gender Studies – Emotions in Jeptha (1659) Kristine Steenbergh Chapter 21 Close Reading and Theory – The David Plays (1660) Frans-Willem Korsten Chapter 22 Psychoanalysis – Law, Theatre and Violence in Samson (1660) Yasco Horsman Chapter 23 Law and Literature – Batavische gebroeders (1663) Jeanne Gaakeer Chapter 24 New Philology – Variants in Adam in ballingschap (1664) Jan Bloemendal Chapter 25 Philosophy – Noah (1667) about God and Nature Wiep van Bunge Works Cited Part IV Bibliography of Vondel’s dramas (1850–2008) Jan Bloemendal About the authors Indices
