The Island Princess - (Arden Early Modern Drama) by John Fletcher (Paperback)

About the Book

A ground-breaking edition of an early modern play exploring of the clash of empire, religion and the battle for wealth and power.

Book Synopsis

The Island Princess is a tragicomic romance set in the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Fletcher rewrites Shakespeare's The Tempest through the encounter of Islam and Christianity and the fierce European competition for wealth at the farthest reaches of empire. The play also stages the degeneration of religious tolerance into fanaticism.
This ground-breaking edition explores the play in its gendered, political, social and religious contexts whilst also finding its resonances for a twenty-first century audience. The critical introduction and on-page commentary notes create an ideal teaching text giving a comprehensive account of the play from both literary and performance perspectives.

Review Quotes

"Clare McManus has produced a fine edition of this important play, which has emerged from neglect in recent years. The text has been authoritatively established; the notes are always helpful; and the introduction, in line with this series, is serious, useful and a pleasure to read." --Andrew Hadfield, University of Sussex, Around the Globe

"Clare McManus's edition is to a large extent organised around what she sees as the play's 'striking topicality in the post-9/11 moment' ... [and] McManus works hard to ground the play's native characters in Islamic culture." --London Review of Books

"I gladly recommend McManus' edition of his work [...] I am pleased to see a new, scholarly, well-annotated edition of this old work." --Kenneth Tucker, Murray State University, The Shakespeare Newsletter

About the Author

Clare McManus is Reader in English Literature, Roehampton University, London