Title: Topicality and representation
Description: "This book focuses on the importance of topical reading in understanding Islamic figures and themes, and applies this approach to two landmark Elizabethan plays: George Peele's Battle of Alcazar and William Percy's Mahomet and his Heaven. The former is the first English play to present a Moor as a major character, while the latter is the first English play to be based on Quranic material and feature the Prophet of Islam as a major character. In both plays, the book argues, topical concerns played a major role in the formation of Islamic characters and themes, rendering the term 'representation' highly debatable. The book also briefly covers other Elizabethan plays that contained Islamic elements"--Back cover.
Subjects: Islam in literature, English literature, Islamic influences, English drama, Muslims in literature, English literature, foreign influences
People: George Peele (1556-1596), William Percy (1575-1648)