Widows and Suitors in Early Modern English Comedy (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780521036627)

The courtship and remarriage of a rich widow was a popular motif in early modern comic theatre. Jennifer Panek brings together a variety of texts, from ballads and jest-books to sermons and court records, to examine this staple of comic theatre in its cultural context. She persuasively challenges the stereotype of the lusty widow as a tactic to dissuade women from second marriages, arguing instead that it was deployed to enable her suitors to regain their masculinity, under threat from the dominant, wealthier widow.

Author: Jennifer Panek
ISBN-10: 0521036623
ISBN-13: 9780521036627
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 05/07/2007
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.58d