第20次开课

开始:2025-08-26

截止:2025-12-31

课程已进行至

19/19周

成绩预发布时间 2025-12-28

期末考试截止时间 未设置

教学团队

河北师范大学
教授
河北师范大学
教授
河北师范大学
副教授
邢台学院
副教授
河北师范大学
副教授
河北师范大学
讲师
河北师范大学
助教

课程特色

视频(60)
PPT(31)
作业(29)
讨论(12)
文档(28)
考试(1)

对本·琼生的提问

By 杨璟雯 12-14 35次浏览

1. Satire and Moral Ambiguity in Jonson's City Comedies: How Does Volpone Subvert Traditional Morality to Critique Capitalist Corruption?

Ben Jonson’s Volpone (1606) is a biting critique of greed and moral decay, yet its satirical edge raises questions about the ethical ambiguity of its characters and structure. Analyze how Jonson uses the comedy of humours framework to expose the hypocrisy of Renaissance Venice’s elite, particularly through Volpone’s feigned death and Mosca’s manipulative schemes. Does the play’s refusal to punish the corrupt (e.g., Voltore, Corvino) undermine its moral message, or does it instead reflect a deeper skepticism about human nature? Discuss how Jonson’s blending of classical models (e.g., Plautus) with Jacobean social critique creates a tension between universal truths and historically specific corruption .

Key angles:

  • The paradox of Volpone’s "triumph": His schemes expose others’ vice, yet he remains complicit in their moral bankruptcy.
  • Mosca as a mirror to Volpone: Both characters embody the parasite archetype, yet Mosca’s final betrayal complicates their relationship.
  • The role of the audience: Does the play’s dark humor implicate viewers in the spectacle of greed, or does it provoke self-reflection?

2. Classical Imitation vs. Innovation: How Does Jonson’s The Alchemist Negotiate Renaissance Humanism and Commercial Realities?

The Alchemist (1610) is celebrated for its adherence to classical unities and Aristotelian principles, yet its themes of alchemy and trickery resonate with early modern capitalism. Explore how Jonson adapts classical satire (e.g., Horace’s Ars Poetica) to critique speculative finance and intellectual fraud in Jacobean London. How does the play’s structure—three unified acts mirroring the alchemical process—reinforce its critique of societal "counterfeiting"? Contrast the erudite language of Subtle and Face with the vernacular of Doll Common, and discuss how this duality reflects Jonson’s tension between elitist humanism and popular theater .

Key textual evidence:

  • The alchemical metaphor: "Making of gold" as both literal fraud and metaphorical social climbing.
  • The collapse of the "laboratory": Symbolizes the failure of humanist ideals in a commercialized world.
  • Epicoene’s dumbfounding of male epistemology: How does the play’s ending destabilize Enlightenment rationality?

3. Ben Jonson and the Politics of Patronage: How Does The Masque of Blackness Navigate Royal Ideology and Anti-Theatrical Controversy?

The Masque of Blackness (1605), commissioned by Anne of Denmark, combines courtly spectacle with subversive themes of racial and gender ambiguity. Investigate how Jonson balances royal flattery (e.g., James I as "Apollo") with critiques of colonialism and patriarchy. Analyze the symbolism of the "black nymphs" and their dance, and discuss how the masque’s performative elements (costumes, choreography) challenge Puritan anxieties about theatricality. Does the play’s ambiguous ending—where blackness is "transformed" into beauty—endorse assimilation or critique white supremacy?

Theoretical framework:

  • Bakhtin’s carnivalesque: The masque as a site of temporary social inversion.
  • Postcolonial theory: The commodification of "exotic" bodies in early modern performance.

4. Gender and Power in Bartholomew Fair: How Does Jonson Use Puppets to Subvert Patriarchal Authority?

Bartholomew Fair (1614) features a cast of morally bankrupt male characters, while its female protagonist, Winwife, navigates a patriarchal world through wit and agency. Examine how Jonson’s use of puppets (e.g., the "dumb-show" of the whores) destabilizes traditional gender roles. Does the play’s carnivalesque setting—marked by licentiousness and disorder—serve to critique or reinforce gender hierarchies? Discuss the significance of Grace Wellborn’s commodification of her chastity and its implications for early capitalist subjectivity .

Key scenes:

  • The puppet scene: A metaphor for male epistemological failure.
  • Winwife’s victory: How does her pragmatic marriage to Cokes challenge idealized femininity?

5. Jonson’s Literary Criticism: How Does Timber Refashion the Renaissance Concept of "Genius"?

In Timber; or, Discoveries (1641), Jonson critiques contemporary writers for prioritizing "fancy" over classical discipline. Analyze his definition of "genius" as a blend of innate talent and learned labor, and contrast it with Renaissance humanist ideals (e.g., Sidney’s Defense of Poesy). How does Jonson’s emphasis on imitation and censure reflect his anxieties about authorship and originality in an era of print culture? Discuss his influence on later critics like Samuel Johnson and T.S. Eliot .

Key arguments from Timber:

  • "Genius is the gift of nature, learning the instrument."
  • Critique of "the affectation of novelty" in poetry.

 

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