The Englische Komoedianten in German-speaking states, 1592-1620 : a generation of touring performers as mediators between English and German cultures
From the beginning of the Reformation until the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, there was brisk and far-reaching cultural interaction between England and German-speaking states. Towards the end of this period, the Englische Komoedianten (EK) - itinerant troupes of English actors and musicians - began a century of touring German courts and cities, with remarkable though neglected success. This thesis is a study of the first, truly English, phase of those tours, 1592-1620, arguing that the EK deserve recognition for their achievement as mediators between English and German cultures in their own right, not because of the remote possibility that they may have been the first to take Shakespeare to Germany. The thesis concentrates on a collection of EK plays, Engelische Comedien vnd Tragedien (1620), which contains a representative selection of their comedies, tragedies and ~Singspiele~, the genre associated with their clown, Pickelhering, the figure with whom they were most closely associated in the popular mind. There are five main sections: 1) A survey of scholarly attitudes to the EK; 2) A study of Anglo-German cultural relations in the sixteenth century; 3) The EK on tour, and their dealings with courts,
Hilton, Julian
British ; History ; Theater ; English influences ; Relations ; Germany ; 16th century ; 17th century ; England
The Englische Komoedianten in German-speaking states, 1592-1620 : a generation of touring performers as mediators between English and German cultures. From the beginning of the Reformation until the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, there was brisk and far-reaching cultural interaction between England and German-speaking states. Towards the end of this period, the Englische Komoedianten (EK) - itinerant troupes of English actors and musicians - began a century of touring German courts and cities, with remarkable though neglected success. This thesis is a study of the first, truly English, phase of those tours, 1592-1620, arguing that the EK deserve recognition for their achievement as mediators between English and German cultures in their own right, not because of the remote possibility that they may have been the first to take Shakespeare to Germany. The thesis concentrates on a collection of EK plays, Engelische Comedien vnd Tragedien (1620), which contains a representative selection of their comedies, tragedies and ~Singspiele~, the genre associated with their clown, Pickelhering, the figure with whom they were most closely associated in the popular mind. There are five main sections: 1) A survey of scholarly attitudes to the EK; 2) A study of Anglo-German cultural relations in the sixteenth century; 3) The EK on tour, and their dealings with courts,
german_speaking state generation tour performer mediator english_german culture begin reformation outbreak far_reaching cultural_interaction england german state towards_end period itinerant english actor musician begin century tour german court city remarkable though neglected success study first truly english phase tour argue deserve recognition achievement mediator english_german culture right remote possibility may first take shakespeare germany concentrate collection play contain representative selection comedy tragedy genre associate figure closely_associate popular mind five_main section survey scholarly attitudes study anglo_german cultural relation tour dealing court