fury of men's gullets, The
Book Description
In The Fury of Men's Gullets, scholar Bruce Thomas Boehrer unveils a fascinating exploration of how Renaissance poet Ben Jonson wove the language of eating, digesting, and nourishment throughout his literary works. This unique study reveals how Jonson transformed the simple act of consumption into a powerful metaphor for understanding human relationships, creative expression, and social belonging.
Boehrer demonstrates how Jonson's alimentary imagery served as more than mere decoration, functioning instead as a sophisticated vocabulary for examining the complexities of patronage, friendship, and literary creation. The author traces these digestive metaphors across Jonson's plays, prose, and poetry, showing how food became a lens through which the poet viewed questions of social inclusion and exclusion.
Drawing on contemporary theoretical frameworks, this scholarly work connects Jonson's preoccupation with consumption to broader cultural themes of his era. Boehrer examines the social significance of food practices, the politics surrounding conspicuous consumption, and the medical understanding of digestion during the Renaissance period.
For readers interested in how language shapes our understanding of human experience, this book offers insights into the ways metaphor can illuminate the deeper currents of personal and cultural transformation. Through Jonson's alimentary vision, we discover how the most basic human activities can become vehicles for profound artistic and social commentary.
Who Is This For?
π Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
π Length: 238 pages
What You'll Discover
- β Explore Food in literature
- β Explore Knowledge
- β Explore Literature and society
- β Explore Manners and customs
- β Explore Literature and science
- β Explore Jonson, ben, 1573-1637
- β Explore Gastronomy in literature
- β Explore Alimentary canal in literature
