Queer virgins and virgin queans on the early modern stage

By Mary Bly

Book Description

This scholarly exploration delves into the hidden linguistic layers of early modern English theater, revealing how wordplay and double meanings created spaces for marginalized communities to express themselves. Mary Bly examines the intricate world of puns and verbal ambiguities that carried deeper resonances beyond their surface meanings, particularly focusing on language that spoke to desires and identities often forced into the shadows.

The study centers on a brief but significant theatrical moment in London history, when a small boys' company performed at the first Whitefriars theater during 1607-8. Through careful analysis of these performances and their linguistic complexities, Bly uncovers how communities formed around shared understanding of coded language, even if only temporarily during theatrical performances.

The work bridges multiple academic disciplines, arguing that wordplay served as more than mere entertainment. Instead, these linguistic games functioned as community-building tools, creating bonds among audience members who recognized the layered meanings. The author also emphasizes the crucial role of writing communities connected to theaters, suggesting these creative networks were more influential than previously recognized.

For readers interested in how language shapes identity and community, this book offers insights into the power of coded communication and the ways marginalized groups have historically found expression through creative interpretation. The study illuminates how theatrical spaces have long served as venues for exploring complex human experiences through the artful manipulation of meaning.

Who Is This For?

📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~6 hours)

📄 Length: 213 pages

What You'll Discover

✓ Explore History and criticism
✓ Explore English drama
✓ Explore Homosexuality and literature--england--history--17th century
✓ Explore Contemporariesshakespeare, william, 1564-1616
✓ Explore Homosexuality in literature
✓ Explore Sex in literature
✓ Explore Homosexuality and literature--history
✓ Explore Puns and punning in literature

Topics Covered

History and criticism English drama Homosexuality and literature--england--history--17th century Contemporariesshakespeare, william, 1564-1616 Homosexuality in literature Sex in literature Homosexuality and literature--history Puns and punning in literature Theater--history English drama--17th century--history and criticism Homosexuality, Male, in literature Gay men in literature English drama--history and criticism Homosexuality and literature--england--london--history--17th century 792/.086/6409421 Male homosexuality, in literature Sexual orientation in literature Eroticism in literature Theater Shakespeare, william, 1564-1616, contemporaries Child actors--england--london--history--17th century English drama, history and criticism, 17th century Theater--england--london--history--17th century Puns and punning Child actors Child actors--history History Homosexuality and literature Male homosexuality in literature Contemporaries Pr678.h58 b58 2000