Any interest in a discussion about plagues, the arts, and the powers that be? Happy to post excerpts from Shakespeare scholar Leeds Barroll's thought-provoking study, Politics, Plague, and Shakespeare's Theater, Norton 1991.
Current Shakespeare criticism is too quick to dismiss the prescientific and practical steps adopted for plague suppression in the Elizabeth era merely as the futility of superstition and ignorance.” 72
“In several instances, plague-prevention measures in Renaissance England (although less sophisticated than those on the continent) accorded with just those preventive steps recommended by twentieth-century medical theory before the discovery of antibiotics and still recommended today for third-world countries when antibiotics are unavailable.” 72
“The methods being similar, then, one must consider the possibility that the crown authorities observed results that encouraged them to repeat the measures they adopted when plague threatened. And, though there can be no detailed history of plagues averted, the absence of plague in many instances could be as telling as its presence.” 72
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Is this the replacement for the alum listserv? Hello? Is anyone out there?
I'm here! The For Carls google group is having a mini-resurgence at the moment.
Yes, I see that. Is the google group going away? Caucus was a super forum back in the day as well.
No, we are not removing the Google Group. We added this forum as another way for alums to connect and discuss topics.
Any interest in a discussion about plagues, the arts, and the powers that be? Happy to post excerpts from Shakespeare scholar Leeds Barroll's thought-provoking study, Politics, Plague, and Shakespeare's Theater, Norton 1991.
Excerpts from Barroll:
Current Shakespeare criticism is too quick to dismiss the prescientific and practical steps adopted for plague suppression in the Elizabeth era merely as the futility of superstition and ignorance.” 72
“In several instances, plague-prevention measures in Renaissance England (although less sophisticated than those on the continent) accorded with just those preventive steps recommended by twentieth-century medical theory before the discovery of antibiotics and still recommended today for third-world countries when antibiotics are unavailable.” 72
“The methods being similar, then, one must consider the possibility that the crown authorities observed results that encouraged them to repeat the measures they adopted when plague threatened. And, though there can be no detailed history of plagues averted, the absence of plague in many instances could be as telling as its presence.” 72