The Ambivalences of Medieval Religious DramaStanford University Press, 2001 - 308 pagini What is medieval religious drama, and what function does it serve in negotiating between the domains of theology and popular life? This book aims to answer these questions by studying three sets of these dramas: tenth-century Easter plays, twelfth-century Adam plays, and fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Passion plays. However, the author s intent is not to present a genre history. Instead, he seeks to mediate between the historical development of the plays and a systematic unfolding of the archetypal structure within which the plays grasp salvation history and act it out. His theoretical approach is grounded in the work of Niklas Luhmann, which strongly emphasizes the priority of social functions over institutional structures. The book s textual basis is truly European--including works from Germany, France, England, and Spain--and goes beyond "literary texts to engage a range of sources from sparsely documented folk rituals to high medieval theology. These sources enable the author to encompass the complex structure of popular feasts and religious celebrations that centered on Easter. His methodological program--a systematically informed, structured analysis sensitive to the historical context--identifies recurrent patterns of distortion in these feasts and celebrations vis-à-vis their model, the chapters of Scripture dealing with Christ s death and resurrection. Eschewing the conventional view of medieval theater as a depiction of medieval theology, the author convincingly shows that below their textual surfaces, the Easter theatrical and religious celebrations must have served as collective rituals of compensation in whose context the figure of Christ (often, specifically, the actor incarnating the figure) took over the role of the scapegoat. This demonstrates another of the book s major contributions, that a collaboration between medieval studies and contemporary cultural theory is not only viable but richly rewarding. |
Cuprins
PART I | 25 |
Jesus Descent into Hell As Cardinal Function | 45 |
The Marys Play As Catalyzer | 66 |
The Easter Play and Ritualistic Laughter | 100 |
The Fall in the Ambivalence of Dramatic and Substantial Dualism | 115 |
Figural Events in the Locus and Archetypal Events on the Platea | 126 |
The Passion Play Between Mythologeme and Theologumenon | 155 |
Compassio and Ritual Graphicness | 179 |
Typology As Desymbolized Pseudocommunication | 207 |
Play As a Class of Functional Equivalents | 243 |
301 | |
Termeni și expresii frecvente
Adam play allegorization already Alsfeld Amalarius Amalarius's ambivalence Anselm appears archaic archetypal becomes biblical cardinal function century ceremony Christ Christian church comedy comic concept Corpus Christi play cross Crucifixion death descensus descent into hell developed Devil didactic dimension disciples divine doctrine of satisfaction dogmatic dualistic Easter play elevatio Erlau Eucharist event fact figure Florus Florus of Lyons Frye gardener Gehlen German gnostic Gospel of Nicodemus Greban Hardison hermeneutics hortulanus Ibid imaginary Innsbruck interest interpretation Jesus kerygma late medieval laughter literary liturgical celebration Lucifer Luhmann Mary Magdalene Mass moral motif myth mythical mythologeme nominalistic once opposition original pagan Passion play precisely problematic question redemption reference regard religious drama religious plays remains Resurrection rex gloriae risus paschalis rite ritual ritualistic sacrifice salvation history salvation-history Satan scene sense sepulcher specific Sterzing structural Stumpfl substratum texts theater theological theory tion Tollite portas typological vernacular play vernacular tradition visitatio Warning's