Textiles have long provided metaphors for storytelling: a
compelling novel “weaves a tapestry” and we enjoy hearing
someone “spin” a tale. To what extent, however, should we take
these metaphors seriously? Arras Hanging: The Textile That
Determined Early Modern Literature and Drama reveals that in
the early modern period, when cloth-making was ubiquitous and
high-quality tapestries called arras hangings were the most
valuable objects in England, such metaphors were literal. The arras
in particular provided a narrative model for writers such as Edmund
Spenser and William Shakespeare, who exploited their audience’s
familiarity with weaving to engage them in highly idiosyncratic and
“hands on” ways. Specifically, undescribed or “blank”
tapestries in the period’s fiction presented audiences with
opportunities to “see” whatever they desired, and thus weave
themselves into the story. Far more than background objects,
literary and dramatic arras hangings have much to teach us about
the intersections between texts and textiles at the dawn of print,
and, more broadly, about the status of visual art in
post-Reformation England. Published by University of Delaware
Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.
General
Imprint: |
University of Delaware Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
September 2013 |
Firstpublished: |
2014 |
Authors: |
Rebecca Olson
|
Dimensions: |
230 x 149mm (L x W) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
180 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-64453-067-2 |
Categories: |
Books
Promotions
|
LSN: |
1-64453-067-8 |
Barcode: |
9781644530672 |
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