Liturgical Drama and the Reimagining of Medieval Theater

Authors

Michael Norton

Files

Document Type

Monograph

Description

The expression "liturgical drama" was formulated in 1834 as a metaphor and hardened into formal category only later in the nineteenth century. Prior to this invention, the medieval rites and representations that would forge the category were understood as distinct and unrelated classes: as liturgical rites no longer celebrated or as theatrical works of dubious quality. If this distinction between liturgical rites and non-liturgical representations holds, should we not examine the works called "liturgical drama" according to the contexts of their presentations within the manuscripts and books that preserve them? Given the ways that the words "liturgy" and "drama" have been understood, moreover, combining them makes little sense. Given the distinctions that exist within the repertory, the expression also has no definable referent. Ultimately, the expression has little utility if we wish to appreciate how these rites and representations were understood at the time they were copied, celebrated, or performed.

Publication Date

8-31-2017

Publisher

Medieval Institute Publications

Imprint

Medieval Institute Publications

City

Kalamazoo

ISBN

9781580442633

Keywords

medieval theater, medieval drama, medieval liturgical drama

Disciplines

Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory | Liturgy and Worship | Medieval Studies

Citation for Published Book

Norton, Michael. Liturgical Drama and the Reimagining of Medieval Theater. Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2017.