The Venetian origins of the Commedia dell'arte
By: Peter Jordan
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 250
ISBN-13: 9780415698757; 9780415698764
Subjects: Italian drama; Italian drama (Comedy); Theater; Commedia dell'arte; History and criticism; History
Description: "The Venetian Origins of the Commedia dell'Arte is a striking new enquiry into the late-Renaissance stirrings of professional secular comedy in Venice, and their connection to the development of what came to be known as the Commedia dell'Arte. The book contends that through a symbiotic collaboration between patrician amateurs and plebeian professionals, innovative forms of comedy developed in the Venice region, fusing 'high' and 'low' culture in a provocative mix that had a truly mass appeal. Rich with anecdotes, images, and literary - often ribald - comic passages, Peter Jordan's central argument has important implications for the study of Venetian art, popular theatre and European cultural history"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The "Comedy of the Profession"; title: Laughter, Humour and Comedy; title: Magnifico and Zanni; title: Why Venice?; title: The Companies of the Hose; title: Rich Boys and Poor Clowns; title: Pantalone Case Study, Part One: the Character; title: Pantalone Case Study, Part Two: The Capricco; title: The First Professionals, The Gelosi; title: A Lingering Legacy; title: Conclusion.