The Cambridge Companion to Ben Jonson

Ben Jonson is in many ways the figure of greatest centrality to literary study of the Elizabethan and Jacobean period. He wrote in virtually every literary genre: in drama comedy tragedy and masque; in poetry epigram epistle and lyric; in prose literary criticism and English grammar. He became the most visible poet of his age honored more than even William Shakespeare and his dramatic works in particular his major comedies continue to be performed today. This Companion brings together leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic to provide an accessible and up-to-date introduction to Jonson''s life and works. It represents an invaluable guide to current critical perspectives providing generous coverage not only of his plays but also his non-dramatic works. The volume is informed by the latest development in Jonson scholarship and will therefore appeal to scholars and teachers as well as newcomers to his work.