Theaters of Translation: Cosmopolitan Vernaculars in Shakespeare's England [Kietas viršelis]

"In Theaters of Translation: Cosmopolitan Vernaculars in Shakespeare's England, Andrew S. Keener argues that plays by Thomas Kyd, Mary Sidney Herbert, Ben Jonson, and others were shaped by and contributed to a multilingual Europe full of dictionaries, grammars, and language-learning dialogues. Bringing together critical discussions and methodologies in transnational literary studies, book history, and the history of theater and performance, Keener proposes a fresh, multilingual approach to English Renaissance drama in a way that also liberates the histories of early modern languages and literatures from their national silos. Rather than accepting Shakespeare as England's "national playwright," and instead of inscribing the period's theater and drama within England's political, geographic, and linguistic limits, "Theaters of Translation" demonstrates the intercourse between England's drama and the great variety of multilingual dictionaries, dialogues, grammars, and language manuals circulating throughout Europe. Covering the period 1570-1640, when England's drama-and, crucially, the English language itself-was a proving ground for linguistic mixture, Keener emphasizes the term "cosmopolitan vernaculars," which refers to non-classical languages that modeled transnational forms of belonging for playgoers, readers, and authors across early modern Europe; in doing so, he challenges scholarship that continues to figure Renaissance England as a site of national and linguistic cohesion. The critical genealogy ofthe term "cosmopolitan vernaculars" is itself rooted in studies of premodern Sanskrit and in postcolonial theory addressing the British Empire, so by acknowledging the complexities associated with the terms "cosmopolitanism" and "vernacularity," Keener offers a conceptual and historical bridge between the medieval period and the imperial era, making room for linguistic considerations of cosmopolitanism in England among French, Italian, Spanish, and other European languages in relation to the English theater. Linking recent contributions to cosmopolitan theory with transnational studies of early modern literature and culture-particularly studies examining the dynamics of multiple languages, translation, and polyglot manuals and dictionaries in Europe-"Theaters of Translation" highlights both the ways in which cosmopolitanism manifests through vernacular languages-in print and performance-and the ways languages themselves can exhibit cosmopolitanism for those who encounter them on the page or on the stage.With this evidence, Keener analyzes the workings of cosmopolitan vernaculars in early modern England, and in ways that open up new, transnational interpretations of plays. "Theaters of Translation" also seeks to make much more out of details known to scholars already-such as the fact that Ben Jonson owned and annotated a copy of Pietro Aretino's scandalous Italian dialogues, or that Shakespeare's First Folio was advertised for sale in Germany before its London publication-but which have been overlooked or obscured because they do not always agree with the prevailing, nationally-focused approaches to early modern drama in England"--

Explores the profound influence of multilingual dictionaries, dialogues, and grammars on English Renaissance playwrights

Explores the profound influence of multilingual dictionaries, dialogues, and grammars on English Renaissance playwrights

In Theaters of Translation, Andrew S. Keener offers a fascinating account of the ways that plays by Thomas Kyd, Mary Sidney Herbert, Ben Jonson, and their fellow English contemporaries were shaped by and part of a multilingual Europe where dictionaries, grammars, and language-learning materials circulated widely. He proposes a fresh, multilingual approach to English Renaissance drama that challenges the histories of early modern European languages as sites of national and linguistic cohesion.

Covering the period between 1570 and 1640, when England’s drama and the English language itself were evolving, Keener uses the term “cosmopolitan vernaculars” to examine how nonclassical European languages modeled transnational forms of belonging for playgoers, readers, and authors in Renaissance England. Combining recent contributions to cosmopolitan theory and transnational studies of early modern literature and culture, Keener highlights both the ways in which cosmopolitanism manifests through Europe’s vernacular languages—in print and performance—and the ways languages themselves can exhibit cosmopolitanism for those who encounter them on the page or on the stage.

Theaters of Translation opens up new transnational interpretations of English Renaissance plays and casts fresh light on historical anecdotes, such as Jonson inscribing a copy of Pietro Aretino’s scandalous Italian dialogues or Shakespeare’s First Folio being advertised for sale in Germany before its London publication. It offers much of interest to readers and scholars of Renaissance Europe, early modern drama, and the development of national European languages.