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None a Stranger There: England and/in Europe on the Early Modern Stage
A wide-ranging group of scholarly essays that probe the historical nature of English identity, both through self-definition and in relationship to the rest of Europe
298 pages, Hardcover
Published November 26, 2024
About the author
Scott Oldenburg
7 booksI teach and write about 16th and 17th century English culture and literature with articles and books about early modern race, immigration, and popular politics. I am especially interested in exploring fissures in the grand narratives of Renaissance studies (the easy and "natural" development of nationhood and capitalism, the centrality of courtly aesthetics, the premium on eloquence, etc.).
My earliest publications are on early modern race and otherness: "The Riddle of Blackness in England's National Family Romance," for instance, uses the psychoanalytic concept of transference to analyze depictions of complexion difference in the early modern period; and "Headless in America" examines the trope of headlessness in early travel narratives. I periodically return to this vital area of research (most recently in "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 and Race in New Orleans," which is an analysis of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 as it relates to 20th century allusions to the play by New Orleans-based artists).
My first book, 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 (2014 https://utorontopress.com/us/alien-al...), is about how people in 16th and 17th century England dealt with the unprecedented number of immigrants entering the realm. Rather than focus on xenophobia, however, I look at instances of people trying to imagine early multicultural communities resistant to nascent nationalism.
My second book, 𝘈 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦: 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳, 𝘗𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 , is a micro-history of a London silk-weaver who wrote a minor plague epic in 1603. The poem lamented the plight of London's poor and, in a prophetic mode, made proposals to improve the lives of working people in London. In addition to a substantial reading of the poem, the book sheds light on the lives of the middling sort through an analysis of the weaver's household, parish, and larger social network. For more on the book, see the PSU site: http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/...
Related to this second book project (but not part of it), I have published a number of pieces on the culture of commoners. One recent article is about petitioning scenes in early drama (petitioning being the primary mode of communication between commoners and court). Another is about the georgic poetry of Thomas Tusser and its connection to the radical politics of the 1550s (and the red-scare of the early 1960s). A third piece is about a Puritan preacher involved in trying to make the coal mines of Newcastle the collective property of the city (he was predictably chased out of town by the coal oligarchs of Newcastle).
I have also co-edited with Krisin Bezio (U. of Richmond) two volumes of essays on religion and the early modern marketplace. The first, 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪ᵣ
My earliest publications are on early modern race and otherness: "The Riddle of Blackness in England's National Family Romance," for instance, uses the psychoanalytic concept of transference to analyze depictions of complexion difference in the early modern period; and "Headless in America" examines the trope of headlessness in early travel narratives. I periodically return to this vital area of research (most recently in "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 and Race in New Orleans," which is an analysis of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 as it relates to 20th century allusions to the play by New Orleans-based artists).
My first book, 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 (2014 https://utorontopress.com/us/alien-al...), is about how people in 16th and 17th century England dealt with the unprecedented number of immigrants entering the realm. Rather than focus on xenophobia, however, I look at instances of people trying to imagine early multicultural communities resistant to nascent nationalism.
My second book, 𝘈 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘗𝘰𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦: 𝘓𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳, 𝘗𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘯 , is a micro-history of a London silk-weaver who wrote a minor plague epic in 1603. The poem lamented the plight of London's poor and, in a prophetic mode, made proposals to improve the lives of working people in London. In addition to a substantial reading of the poem, the book sheds light on the lives of the middling sort through an analysis of the weaver's household, parish, and larger social network. For more on the book, see the PSU site: http://www.psupress.org/books/titles/...
Related to this second book project (but not part of it), I have published a number of pieces on the culture of commoners. One recent article is about petitioning scenes in early drama (petitioning being the primary mode of communication between commoners and court). Another is about the georgic poetry of Thomas Tusser and its connection to the radical politics of the 1550s (and the red-scare of the early 1960s). A third piece is about a Puritan preacher involved in trying to make the coal mines of Newcastle the collective property of the city (he was predictably chased out of town by the coal oligarchs of Newcastle).
I have also co-edited with Krisin Bezio (U. of Richmond) two volumes of essays on religion and the early modern marketplace. The first, 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘪ᵣ
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