To Chester and Beyond: Meaning Text and Context in Early English Drama

This volume brings together a selection of the major articles of David Mills (1938-2013) which along with similar volumes by Alexandra F. Johnston Peter Meredith and Meg Twycross makes up a set of Shifting Paradigms in Early English Drama Studies. Mills was one of these four key scholars whose work has changed what is known about English medieval drama and theatre. He made major contributions to understanding English medieval theatre in the widest sense but more specifically to the nature and development of medieval plays and their performance at Chester. The scope of his work from manuscript to performance has created new knowledge and insights brought about by his remarkable technical skill as an editor and researcher. His texts of the Chester Cycle of Mystery Plays have become the standard works. In the light of this outstanding research the volume is comprised of four sections: 1. Editors and Editing; 2. Cultural Contexts; 3. Staging and Performance; 4. Criticism and Evaluation. An editorial introduction opens the work.