Ben Jonson's London - by Fran C Chalfant (Paperback)

About the Book

Ben Jonson's London examines the purpose, scope, and success of Jonson's use of London settings as place names. Chalfant demonstrates that Jonson brought the same judicious, erudite, and dramatically functional insight to his handling of London topography as he did to his well-known use of classical, mythological, and iconographical detail.

Book Synopsis

Ben Jonson was a Londoner. He lived there from infancy, left for only brief periods of travel, and used various locales in or near London as the settings for eleven of his seventeen plays. Ben Jonson's London opens with a discussion of the purpose, scope, and success of Jonson's use of London settings as Placenames. Chalfant demonstrates that Ben Jonson brought the same judicious, erudite, and dramatically functional insight to his handling of London topography-from overall settings to very brief mentions-as he did to his well-known use of classical, mythological, and iconographical detail.

Review Quotes

A competent and useful piece of work that will save Jonsonians a great deal of labor and time. . . . The individual entries are gracefully written, comprehensive without being cumbersome, and frequently enlivened by intelligent observations and fresh insights

--J. A. Bryant, Jr.

About the Author

Fran C. Chalfant is Professor of English at the University of West Georgia focusing on the later English Renaissance, the Victorian period, and the works of Thomas Hardy. She received her PhD from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.