Common Understandings, Poetic Confusion: Playhouses and Playgoers in Elizabethan England

A new perspective on playgoing in Elizabethan England, where audiences actively participated alongside performers, is presented in William N. West's book "Common Understandings, Poetic Confusion." He explores the use of figurative language by early modern players and playgoers to describe theatrical experiences, revealing a collaborative and interactive nature of play that transcended individual boundaries. The physical interactions between players and playgoers, including thrown apples, smashed bottles, and lumbering bears, shaped the thinking and feeling distributed across persons and times.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

A fresh perspective on playgoing in Elizabethan England emerges in William N. West's book, Common Understandings, Poetic Confusion. He suggests that audiences actively engaged with performers, akin to attending a football match rather than a traditional Broadway show. West uncovers intriguing descriptions of theatrical experiences in the figurative language of early modern actors and playgoers, encompassing terms such as understanding, confusion, occupation, eating, and fighting. While these words and expressions are still in use today, their earlier meanings differ significantly from our contemporary perspectives. Playing extended beyond the confines of the stage, enveloping audiences and performers in collaborative experiences that transcended individual boundaries. What emerged from this dynamic was a distributed form of thinking and feeling that spanned different persons and times. Physical interactions, such as thrown apples, smashed beer bottles, and lumbering bears, took on verbal expressions, forming circuits of exchange, production, and consumption. This unique blend of theatricality and participatory culture sheds light on the rich tapestry of Elizabethan entertainment and highlights the enduring influence of these early modern theatrical practices on our understanding of performance and audience engagement.

Weight: 502g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226809038