Abstract
Through a reading of Jonson's late play, The Staple of News, this essay challenges the longstanding critical commonplace that Jonson was divided between conflicting impulses, and that this division is reflected in his literary works. The Staple of News responds to the emerging news culture of the 1620s. Critics have tended to read the play as demonstrating that Jonson's attitude to this culture was fraught with tensions, contradictions, and inconsistencies, reflecting a deeper conflict between his impulses as a moralizer and his impulses as an artist. This essay argues that the play's complex representation of the relationship between art and truth reveals that Jonson's treatment of news is much more subtle, calibrated, and controlled than such accounts allow. The play emphasizes issues of judgement, interpretation, and taste, carefully exposing divisions not in its creator but in the society to which it responds and in which it would be received. In this way, the essay highlights the complexity of this leading playwright's dramatic art and provides a means of moving beyond the critical notion of the divided Jonson. (J. R.)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
