Abstract
Despite a legacy of critical misapprehension, the study of early modern civic pageantry reveals a vital and wide-ranging performance culture that animated the city and its inhabitants. Investigation of the place of pageantry in the early modern imagination illustrates the potent accessibility of the forms it encompassed. Placing the diverse experiences and competences of pageant consumers, from the urban spectator in the crowd to the readers of printed pageant books, alongside the skilled work of the cast of collaborators involved in pageant design and performance, illustrates the multi-layered fabric of pageant culture in early modern London as well as the possibilities for critical engagement exemplified by the contributors to this special issue.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | The London Journal |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 1 Dec 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Mar 2022 |
| Event | Shakespeare Association of America 2019: Seminar 'London as a Theatrical Space' - Washington D.C., United States Duration: 18 Apr 2019 → 18 Apr 2019 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsWe would like to acknowledge the contribution of all those who participated in the SAA2019 seminar, ‘London as a theatrical space’. We are immensely grateful to all the contributors to this special issue for their work on this project through such a difficult time. This special issue would not have been possible without the labour of the anonymous reviewers and the immense help of Charlie Turpie at The London Journal who saw this project through its formative stages, and of Aidan Norrie who came on board near the end.
Keywords
- Pageantry
- Performance
- Henry Machyn
- Robert Burton
- Thomas Middleton
- Lord Mayor
- Livery Companies