Performance, Drama and Spectacle in the Medieval City

The growth of urban life in the Middle Ages led to a flourishing of performance, drama and spectacle as we understand them today. Here is presented, for the first time, a collection of commissioned essays whose goal is to bring together a broad variety of interdisciplinary, innovative 'snapshots' from different geographical locations, time frames, traditions and scholarly fields. Contributors to Performance, Drama, Spectacle and the Medieval City are scholars of international prominence. Through their diverse interests, but single focus, the fundamental mobility of medieval culture is acknowledged. The collective aim in honouring Alan Hindley and his ongoing work is to produce a set of variations which offer diversity yet coherence. Performance and spectacle played a central role not only in the realm of urban entertainment, but also adopted enormously important civic and religious functions. The cities in the medieval west were both a hotbed of cultural manifestations, and elemental in the development of drama. In its refusal to accept subjective boundaries and its broad assumption that drama takes many forms, it is hoped that Performance, Drama, Spectacle and the Medieval City will find favour with its dedicatee, and imitate his wisdom and openness by enabling dialogue between traditions, critical approaches, and moments in time.