Ben Jonson: A Literary Life by W. David Kay (PDF)

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Explore the Life of a Legend… As poet laureate at the court of King James the First, Ben Jonson’s literary success was the result of a life-long drive for recognition.Taken out of Westminster School against his will to assist his brick-layer step-father, Jonson compensated by reading so widely in the classics that he could brag ‘he was better versed and knew more in Greek and Latin than all the poets in England’. Endowed with an out-sized, contentious personality, he killed a fellow-actor in a duel, while his pointed satire and his self-representation as the English Horace initiated “the War of the Theatres” with playwrights John Marston and Thomas Dekker. In his prologues, he carried on a playful, running battle with his great rival, Shakespeare, who incorporated Jonson’s vein of humours satire into his own romantic comedy. In his later years, his personal magnetism gathered around him a younger generation of ‘Sons of Ben’ who indulged in wit-combats and wine at the Mermaid Tavern.Jonson’s Volpone or The Fox, The Alchemistand Bartholomew Fair rank among the best, most-frequently anthologized comedies of the Jacobean period. His inventive court masques earned him a pension from King James. His classically-inspired poems of praise and blame initiated a new mode of ‘plain-style’ poetry imitated by the Cavalier poets. The publication in 1616 of his literary Works gave new dignity to stage-plays and inspired Shakespeare’s fellows to collect his comedies, tragedies, and histories into the 1623 Folio edition. In the Restoration period, Jonson’s comedy Epicoene or The Silent Woman would be singled out by John Dryden as an early pattern for the comedy of wit.Utilising his charming personality, Jonson was able to impress a broader audience through his various works, making an impact so great that we still revere him today. Ben Jonson: A Literary Life re-evaluates the impulses behind Jonson’s literary life and provides new evidence about his creative transformation of Elizabethan dramatic models, offering insights not available in other studies. Praise for Ben Jonson: A Literary Life ‘This would be the first book to recommend to an intelligent student interested in Jonson’s life.’ – Robert C. Evans ‘This is a wise and mature book–one that tries to do Jonson the justice of taking him whole.’ – Robert C. Evans W. David Kay is an Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Illinois and is known for his in-depth and engrossing work.

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Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐(Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and impartial review.) A scholarly study of the poet-playwright Ben Jonson … reveals the immense influence of his mentor, William Camden, during his truncated education at the Westminster School in London .. this foundation in Greek & Latin led to the immense role that classical literature played in Jonson’s work, almost to the point of plagiarism … addresses in depth the artwork of Jonson’s plays and sheds light on the atmosphere created by the Jacobean court … well-researched and informative …

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