Silenced voices/speaking bodies : female performance and cultural agency in the court of Anne of Denmark (1603-19)
This study investigates the long-neglected cultural engagement of the court of Anne of Denmark, consort of James VI and I, revising her historiographical representation in the light of current gender theory. Focusing upon the masque performances of the English Jacobean court, I examine the genre's anomalous staging of Renaissance female performance and its contribution to the emergence of a more general female performance. Through detailed analysis of masque performances, I assess contemporary courtly attitudes towards female masquing and the performative representation of the courtly woman. This study is firmly interdisciplinary in its approach to female cultural production, investigating the texts of performance, embroidery, dance, patronage and commissioning, and religious and political engagement. This thesis breaks new ground in the detailed examination of the aesthetics of masque performance as tools of social and political engagement. This study decentres the anglocentricism prevalent in recent cultural criticism of the Jacobean court. My first: chapter traces Anne's life and performance in both the Danish and Scottish Renaissance courts, assessing the impact of these alternative models upon her cultural
McManus, Clare
DA Great Britain ; HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Silenced voices/speaking bodies : female performance and cultural agency in the court of Anne of Denmark (1603-19). This study investigates the long-neglected cultural engagement of the court of Anne of Denmark, consort of James VI and I, revising her historiographical representation in the light of current gender theory. Focusing upon the masque performances of the English Jacobean court, I examine the genre's anomalous staging of Renaissance female performance and its contribution to the emergence of a more general female performance. Through detailed analysis of masque performances, I assess contemporary courtly attitudes towards female masquing and the performative representation of the courtly woman. This study is firmly interdisciplinary in its approach to female cultural production, investigating the texts of performance, embroidery, dance, patronage and commissioning, and religious and political engagement. This thesis breaks new ground in the detailed examination of the aesthetics of masque performance as tools of social and political engagement. This study decentres the anglocentricism prevalent in recent cultural criticism of the Jacobean court. My first: chapter traces Anne's life and performance in both the Danish and Scottish Renaissance courts, assessing the impact of these alternative models upon her cultural
voices speaking body female performance cultural agency court anne denmark study_investigate long neglected cultural engagement court anne denmark consort james_vi revise historiographical representation light current gender theory focusing upon performance english jacobean court examine genre anomalous stag renaissance female performance emergence general female performance detailed_analysis performance assess contemporary courtly attitudes_towards female performative representation courtly woman study firmly interdisciplinary female cultural_production investigate texts performance dance patronage religious_political engagement break_new ground detailed_examination aesthetic performance tool social_political engagement study prevalent recent cultural criticism jacobean court first trace anne life performance danish scottish renaissance court assess_impact alternative_model upon cultural