Document Type
Edited Collection
Description
Why do we play games—with and upon each other as well as ourselves? When are winners also losers, and vice-versa? How and to what end do we stretch the spaces of play? What happens when players go "out of bounds," or when games go "too far"? Moreover, what happens when we push the parameters of inquiry: when we play with traditional narratives of ludic culture, when we rewrite the rules?
An innovative volume of fifteen interdisciplinary essays at the nexus of material culture, performance studies, and game theory, Playthings in Early Modernity emphasizes the rules of the game(s) as well as the breaking of those rules. Thus, the titular "plaything" is understood as both an object and a person, and play, in the early modern world, is treated not merely as a pastime, a leisurely pursuit, but as a pivotal part of daily life, a strategic psychosocial endeavor.
Publication Date
2-22-2017
Publisher
Medieval Institute Publications
City
Kalamazoo
ISBN
9781580442602
Keywords
games; play; gender; Renaissance; ludic
Disciplines
Medieval Studies | Renaissance Studies
Citation for Published Book
Levy, Allison, ed. Playthings in Early Modernity: Party Games, Word Games, Mind Games. Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2017.
Comments
This page displays the metadata for this volume. Only the front matter and table of contents are available for download. For more information or to buy the book, please follow the “Buy this book” link above.
Additional format available:
E-book (PDF): 9781580442619