medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I'm finally getting back to a long overdue (and I mean really, really overdue) essay on English theology in the thirteenth century. I have been mulling over how to present this without getting stuck in some of the overly repeated narratives that have often acted as barriers for readers coming into this field for the first time. I don't know if this is clever or just silly, but I am thinking along the lines of analyzing the topic in terms of playscript analysis. So I wanted to talk about the "setting" (the institutional and social contexts of where theologizing happens--and not just at the two universities that often steal the spotlight); then the "players" in terms of who's who and who relates to whom; the "props" or what is normally called the discipline's tools and resources; and the finally, the performance, that is the main issues and themes of the literature.
So here's the dumb question: am I missing any major component of basic theatre analysis? Or have I missed the boat (or, ahem, the stage) completely?
Here's the less dumb question: any recommendations for a good overview of playscript criticism that won't get me stuck into a specific set or genres of plays? I am certainly interested in the critical relationship between script and performance (as I see most theological texts as performative texts), but again I am interested in what is transferrable.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Jim
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James R. Ginther, PhD
Professor of Medieval Theology
& Director,
Center for Digital Theology
Saint Louis University
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