The Ruins of Allegory: Paradise Lost and the Metamorphosis of Epic Convention

Abstract

formats, and experiential observations.Mick Jardine, on the other hand, offers a more theoretical (but nonetheless thankfully clear) overview of the stereotypical contrasts between Jonson and Shakespeare, and suggests how the contrastive pairing of the two authors has worked to the former's disadvantage.Jardine has much of interest to say about how Jonson's image has been "constructed" in certain negative ways and how we might escape from such constricting constructions, although he tends to beg the question of why Jonson was originally "constructed" in one fashion and Shakespeare in another.(Perhaps social responses are not, after all, merely matters of social construction or ideological convention.)One real strength of this book is the sense it conveys of genuine give-and-take, of dialogue, even disagreement, among its contributors.A reader no sooner finishes one piece than he finds another author explicitly questioning a point or points just previously made.This "dialogical" approach not only reflects, but also genuinely stimulates, divergent responses and thoughts.Even more diversity is produced by the final section of the volume, which focuses on "Marginalised Jonsons," including such topics as women actors and directors, female characters and audience members, Australian productions of the plays, and even stagings by disabled actors.This is, in short, a book which cannot be easily pinned down or pigeon-holed, and which is all the more provocative as a result.It should appeal strongly to actors, directors, and theatre-goers, as well as to students and teachers of dramatic production, and with luck it will help contribute to a renaissance of Jonsonian stagings.

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