Ben Jonson: A Collection of Critical Essays (Twentieth Century Views)

One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Jonas A. Barish, T. S. Eliot, L. C. Knights, Harry Levin, Edmund Wilson, Arthur Sale, C. H. Herford, Paul Goodman, Edward B. Partridge, Ray L. Heffner, Jr., Joseph Allen Bryant, Jr., and Dolora Cunningham--all dealing with the biography and literary work of Ben Jonson. Designed for use by both literary critics and secondary and college teachers of English, this work would also be of value to undergraduate and graduate students of literature. Essays include "Tradition and Ben Jonson,""Morose Ben Jonson,""The Double Plot in 'Volpone,'""Unifying Sumbols in the Comedy of Ben Jonson," and "The Jonsonian Masque as a Literary Form." A chronology of important dates in Jonson's life, a brief set of biographical notes on the contributors to this collection, and a twelve-item selected bibliography divided into two sections--one dealing with general references and the other with particular aspects and individual works--complete the volume.

Table of Contents:
Introduction / Jonas A. Barish --
Ben Jonson / T.S. Eliot --
Tradition and Ben Jonson / L.C. Knights --
An introduction to Ben Jonson / Harry Levin --
Morose Ben Jonson / Edmund Wilson --
Introduction to Every man in his humour / Arthur Sale --
Introduction to Every man out of his humour / C.H. Herford --
The double plot in Volpone / Jonas A. Barish --
Comic plots : The alchemist / Paul Goodman --
Epicene / Edward B. Partridge --
Unifying symbols in the comedy of Ben Jonson / Ray L. Heffner, Jr. --
Catiline and the nature of Jonson's tragic fable / Joseph Allen Bryant, Jr. --
The Jonsonian masque as a literary form / Dolora Cunningham.