The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque

This book takes a new look at the courtly masque--a unique combination of music, dance, speech, and elaborate costume--in early-seventeenth-century England. The essays, written by distinguished scholars from around the world, present an interdisciplinary approach, with experts on dance, music, visual spectacle and politics all addressing the masque from the point of view of their speciality. Together they reveal how rival factions at the courts of James I and of Charles I represented their clash of viewpoints through dancing and spectacle.

"This lively and important collection of essays repositions the criticism of masques to better account for competing court allegiances which the Stuart court masque negotiated....this important volume must be praised for bringing to our attention a new way to conceive of the masque's relation to court politics, an increased appreciation for the position of women in the masque's creative process, and, indeed, a more nuanced understanding of Stuart absolutist ideology." Susanne F. Paterson, Albion

"Every library should possess this collection, and every scholar interested in early modern court and civic life should read it, as Bacon counsels, "wholly, and with Diligence and Attention."" Sixteenth Century Journal

"The Politics of the Stuart Court Masque is, finally, an exceptionally good collection of essays that offers substantial, detailed and informative reconsiderations of an important cultural form." Essays in Theatre