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Marking the boundaries : explorations of meaning and identity in the York Corpus Christi cycle Christie, Sheila
Abstract
This thesis explores the implications of the relationships between building trade guilds and the pageants they produced in York, and examines this relationship over the two-hundred-year production of the York Cycle. Because this relationship and the reception of any dramatic performance is heavily influenced by context, we need to look closer at the social, political, and economic environment of late medieval York in order to better understand the range of interpretations available to the Cycle's original audience. Doing so also allows us to witness the issues of identity and community that are negotiated throughout these plays. Chapter 1 examines the guilds responsible for most day-to-day construction (the plasters, tilers, and carpenters) and explores the interpretations that the conjunction of guild casting, play text, and historical context invites. The Plasterers' "Creation" deals with issues of labour and political power, economic fluctuations influence representations of family and community in the Tilers' "Nativity," and the Carpenters' "Resurrection" explores issues of integrity and urban corruption, while also representing a struggle for social authority. Chapter Two considers the participation of groups outside of civic jurisdiction, most particularly the Masons, and investigates the ways in which the York Cycle may have cut across boundaries (or united "separate" groups) instead of, or as well as, reinforcing them. Finally, the changing contexts that in turn changed (or re-focused) the meanings of these texts reveal the boundaries over and through which concepts of identity and community were negotiated.
Item Metadata
Title |
Marking the boundaries : explorations of meaning and identity in the York Corpus Christi cycle
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2000
|
Description |
This thesis explores the implications of the relationships between building trade
guilds and the pageants they produced in York, and examines this relationship over the
two-hundred-year production of the York Cycle. Because this relationship and the
reception of any dramatic performance is heavily influenced by context, we need to look
closer at the social, political, and economic environment of late medieval York in order to
better understand the range of interpretations available to the Cycle's original audience.
Doing so also allows us to witness the issues of identity and community that are
negotiated throughout these plays. Chapter 1 examines the guilds responsible for most
day-to-day construction (the plasters, tilers, and carpenters) and explores the
interpretations that the conjunction of guild casting, play text, and historical context
invites. The Plasterers' "Creation" deals with issues of labour and political power,
economic fluctuations influence representations of family and community in the Tilers'
"Nativity," and the Carpenters' "Resurrection" explores issues of integrity and urban
corruption, while also representing a struggle for social authority. Chapter Two considers
the participation of groups outside of civic jurisdiction, most particularly the Masons, and
investigates the ways in which the York Cycle may have cut across boundaries (or united
"separate" groups) instead of, or as well as, reinforcing them. Finally, the changing
contexts that in turn changed (or re-focused) the meanings of these texts reveal the
boundaries over and through which concepts of identity and community were negotiated.
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Extent |
18827401 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-07-09
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0099554
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2000-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.