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The Meaning of the Digby Mary Magdalen

The Meaning of the Digby Mary Magdalen by HE anomalous Digby Mary Magdalen, preserved in Bodleian Digby MS 133, has undergone in recent years a reversal of critical fortune. In the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century the play was largely ignored, and even when considered at all, it was consistently denigrated.1 In recent years, however, scholarly commentary has turned so positive that the critical remarks at times border on the effusive. David Bevington says that ``this long play aims at the panoramic inclusiveness of a Corpus Christi cycle'' and notes that the time lapses and the scale of the geography covered ``add to the vast, inclusive dimensions of this cosmic account.'' 2 The editors of the recent Early English Text Society edition of the Digby plays state that the Mary Magdalen ``is physically the most elaborate play in English religious drama'' and further point out that ``although lacking the subtlety of the Castle of Perseverance our play surpasses that great morality in theatrical spectacle''; the play is in many ways ``the culmination of late medieval East Anglian popular drama.'' 3 John C. Coldewey, the latest editor of the work, calls it ``the most extravagant play in the whole of early English drama'' and http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Studies in Philology University of North Carolina Press

The Meaning of the Digby Mary Magdalen

Studies in Philology , Volume 101 (1) – Mar 2, 2004

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Publisher
University of North Carolina Press
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 by The University of North Carolina Press.
ISSN
1543-0383
Publisher site
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Abstract

by HE anomalous Digby Mary Magdalen, preserved in Bodleian Digby MS 133, has undergone in recent years a reversal of critical fortune. In the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century the play was largely ignored, and even when considered at all, it was consistently denigrated.1 In recent years, however, scholarly commentary has turned so positive that the critical remarks at times border on the effusive. David Bevington says that ``this long play aims at the panoramic inclusiveness of a Corpus Christi cycle'' and notes that the time lapses and the scale of the geography covered ``add to the vast, inclusive dimensions of this cosmic account.'' 2 The editors of the recent Early English Text Society edition of the Digby plays state that the Mary Magdalen ``is physically the most elaborate play in English religious drama'' and further point out that ``although lacking the subtlety of the Castle of Perseverance our play surpasses that great morality in theatrical spectacle''; the play is in many ways ``the culmination of late medieval East Anglian popular drama.'' 3 John C. Coldewey, the latest editor of the work, calls it ``the most extravagant play in the whole of early English drama'' and

Journal

Studies in PhilologyUniversity of North Carolina Press

Published: Mar 2, 2004

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