Early Theatre
Scope & Guideline
Connecting Literature, Performance, and History
Introduction
Aims and Scopes
- Interdisciplinary Approaches to Early Modern Drama:
The journal encourages submissions that bridge various disciplines, including history, literary studies, performance studies, and cultural studies, to provide a comprehensive understanding of early modern theatrical practices. - Focus on Performance and Reception:
There is a consistent emphasis on how early modern plays were performed, received, and understood by their contemporary audiences, which includes studies on acting, staging, and the physical spaces of performance. - Exploration of Social and Political Contexts:
Research often delves into the social and political implications of early modern drama, examining how plays reflect and influence issues such as race, gender, class, and identity in the context of their time. - Revival of Lesser-Known Works:
The journal showcases new interpretations and editions of lesser-known early modern plays, contributing to the rediscovery of historical texts that have been overlooked in traditional scholarship. - Engagement with Modern Theoretical Frameworks:
Submissions frequently engage with contemporary theoretical frameworks, including postcolonial theory, queer theory, and feminist criticism, to re-evaluate early modern texts and their relevance today.
Trending and Emerging
- Race and Performance:
An increasing number of papers are exploring the intersections of race and performance in early modern drama, reflecting contemporary conversations about race in the arts and how historical texts can inform current understandings of racial dynamics. - Gender and Queer Studies:
There is a notable trend towards examining gender roles and queer identities within early modern plays, indicating a growing interest in how these themes are portrayed and perceived in both historical and modern contexts. - Cultural and Global Perspectives:
Emerging themes include the exploration of cultural exchanges and global influences on early modern theatre, highlighting the interconnectedness of English drama with broader European and colonial contexts. - Intermediality and Adaptation:
Scholarly interest in the relationships between different media—such as print, performance, and visual art—in the context of early modern drama is on the rise, as researchers investigate how these forms interact and influence each other. - Memory and Performance Studies:
Recent publications increasingly focus on memory and its role in performance, examining how collective and individual memories shape the interpretation and significance of early modern plays.
Declining or Waning
- Traditional Historical Narratives:
There seems to be a decline in papers strictly adhering to traditional historical narratives of early modern drama, which often focus solely on chronological accounts without engaging with contemporary theoretical perspectives. - Singular Author Focus:
Research that concentrates exclusively on individual playwrights, such as Shakespeare, without considering broader contextual or comparative analyses appears to be decreasing, as the journal increasingly values interdisciplinary and multifaceted approaches. - Generic Studies of Performance Spaces:
There is less emphasis on generic studies of performance venues without specific case studies or connections to particular plays or performances, as the journal shifts towards more detailed explorations of individual contexts and practices.
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