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The Face of Janus: Debatable Issues in Mariken van Nieumeghen

Authors

Elsa Strietman

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

On the threshold of the sixteenth century, old ideas were defended and new issues came to the fore in the jostling which took place in a period that we, for want of a better description, call the transition from late medieval to early Renaissance culture. The Dutch play Mariken van Nieumeghen is a product of this period since it is a defense of the old and at the same time shows an awareness of the new. This Janus-faced play is thus to be seen as a liminal drama that resourcefully defends orthodox ideas about salvation-and about the means by which it may be achieved by an individual-at the same time that it utilizes theatrically innovative means to achieve its purpose.

Comparative Drama is carried by JSTOR and Project MUSE.

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