The cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson school. He is generally regarded as the second most important english dramatist, after william shakespeare, during the reign of james i. Theres also walter benjamins unfinished, and ultimately unpublishable passagenwerk, or arcades project, his rumination on the early shopping malls of paris. Extraordinary commonplaces by robert darnton the new. I enjoyed his thoughts on shakespeare and theater in general, though he does reveal himself to be a bit hypocritical.
In a world without wikipedia, the commonplace book was especially handy for argumentation, for it was a reservoir of useful wisdom that could be memorized and deployed in rhetoric and composition. Ben jonson has 362 books on goodreads with 30290 ratings. A commonplace book or commonplaces are a way to compile and store knowledge, usually by writing information into books, notebooks, card catalogs, or in more modern settings on ones own website. Ben jonson is wellknown as a playwright who included commonplace markers in his own plays.
Although arrogant and contentious, he was a boon companion, and his followers, sometimes called the sons of ben, loved to gather with him in the london taverns. Ben jonson the reputation of jonson has been of the most deadly kind that can be compelled upon the memory of a great poet. By doing so, jonson fashioned himself as a playwright and authoritative author worth commonplacing, equal to his classical forebears. His character is seemingly present in much of his poetry, and yet his literary persona is carefully constructed, and carefully. The first comedy devoted totally to comedy of humours was ben jonson s every man in his humour, produced in 1598 by shakespeares company, the lord chamberlains men. Examples of his conversation were recorded in conversations with ben jonson by drummond of hawthornden. Ben jonson oxford poetry library 9780192823014 by jonson, ben and a great selection of similar new. During the reign of james i his literary prestige was at its height, and, during his lifetime, jonsons contemporary literary reputation rivalled, and perhaps surpassed, that of shakespeare. Only known edition of annotated ben jonson plays saved for the nation.
Ben jonson 15721637 ben jonson was an english stuart dramatist, lyric poet, and literary critic. Jonson exerted a strong influence over his contemporaries. Jonson himself may be said to have initiated this interpretation in the second folio, and samuel butler drew the same comparison in his commonplace book later in the century. Benjamin jonson was an english playwright and poet, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact. The general concept of the commonplace book dates to the 1500s though earlier precursors exist as books became more common in society. He is generally regarded as the second most important english dramatist, after william shakespeare. We bring to you a treasure trove of quotes that have been excerpted from his novels, books, poems and writings. During the reign of james i his literary prestige was at its height, and, during his lifetime, jonson s contemporary literary reputation rivalled, and perhaps surpassed, that of shakespeare. Evans turns to the reading habits of one of the bestread and mostlearned of all the great english poets and discovers that the impact of jonsons reading on his own art was both immediate and strong. Only known edition of annotated ben jonson plays saved for. In volume seven i discovered ben jonsons commonplace book, first published in 1641 four years after the authors death under the title timber, or, discoveries. The structure of the cambridge edition the cambridge. The second half of the exhibit is concerned exclusively with the equally vigorous tradition of manuscript commonplace books compiled for personal reference and use.
Find out about the work that went into the cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson. Ben jonson is among the bestknown writers and theorists of english renaissance literature, second in reputation only to shakespeare. Read on to explore a compilation of some of the best known quotations by ben jonson. The print edition of the cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson contains the authors seventeen completed plays, his surviving dramatic fragments, his more than thirty court masques and entertainments, his three major collections of poems epigrams, the forest, the underwood along with other occasional and miscellaneous. Or discoveries made upon men and matter by ben jonson. Ben jonson said that his family originally came from the folk of the angloscottish border country, which genealogy is verified by the three spindles in the jonson family coat of arms. Maintained by writers such as john milton and ben jonson, commonplace books were personal notebooks teeming with aphorisms, quotations, and annotations. Ben jonson, after shakespeare the most eminent writer for the elizabethan. It exemplifies the paradox of comic realism encompassed by exaggeration, for jonson managed to sharpen comic depiction of character traits and manners by stressing his characters humours gassner 385. Whereas most poets of his day wrote solely for court favor and patronage, jonson, in addition to these, took ownership of his plays and poetry.
Jonsons numerous works, comedies, tragedies, masques, and lyrics, are of widely varying merit, but all of them, as well as his timber, a kind of commonplacebook, which is of considerable interest for its critical comments on literature, show the unity of aim underlying his writing. His habit was to slip outside during the sacrament, a common routine at the timeindeed it was one followed by. Among words ben jonson is known to have coined or at least to have endorsed through early use are playwright. Descriptive content and transcriptions will continue to be added, updated and expanded. To view a sortable list, please visit the exhibition. It will be looked for book when some but seethy title epigrams. Jonson haveing begune this for his epitaph here lies etc. A commonplace book is a personal notebook of literary excerpts. The print edition of the cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson contains the authors seventeen completed plays, his surviving dramatic fragments, his more than thirty court masques and entertainments, his three major collections of poems epigrams, the forest, the underwood along with other occasional and miscellaneous verses, his revised. Jonson was buried on the north side of the nave in westminster abbey, and the inscription, o rare ben jonson, was cut in the slab over his grave. Both books are not only bedrock material for any detailed study of. In habits of mind, his fourth book on ben jonson, robert c. The work, a type of commonplace book written late in jonsons life, is a repository of miscellaneous quotations, translations and opinions. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
In addition to twelve poems by robert herrick, primarily on love, the manuscript also contains poems by thomas carew, john donne, ben jonson, sir john. Ben jonson had theories about poetry and the drama, and he was neither chary in talking of them nor in experimenting with them in his plays. The discoveries, as it is usually called, is a commonplace book such as many literary men have. For some critics, the temptation to contrast jonson representing art or craft with shakespeare representing nature, or untutored genius has seemed natural. The glass box and the commonplace book stevenberlinjohnson.
Ben johnson books list of books by author ben johnson. See all books authored by ben johnson, including the healing code. A man of vast reading and a seemingly insatiable appetite for controversy, jonson had an unparalleled breadth of influence on. Heath, 1909, c1903, also by felix emmanuel schelling, george chapman, john marston, and book traces project page images at hathitrust jonson, ben, 1573. He is best known for his plays volpone and the alchemist and his lyric poems. A prolific dramatist and a man of letters highly learned in the classics, he profoundly influenced the augustan age through his. The first literary hamlet and the commonplacing of. Ben jonson was born by name of benjamin jonson in london on june 11th, 1572, two months after his father died. Benjamin jonson was an english renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. His publication of his plays in works 1616 was the first large, fancily formatted book to feature dramatic.
In this book an attempt is made to describe and explain what is probably the inner meaning of one of the most interesting and from a literary point of view valuable of ben jonsons later topical playsthe staple of news. For other people of the same name, see ben johnson. List of books and articles about ben jonson online. Unlike modern readers, who follow the flow of a narrative from beginning to end, early modern englishmen read in fits and starts and jumped from book to book. It involved a special way of taking in the printed word. He was the founder of the socalled comedy of humours, and throughout the reign of james i was the dominating personality in english letters. Needless to say, jonson was truly one of the leading lights of his times. His racy conversations with the scottish poet and landowner william drummond of hawthornden during an extended visit to.
The cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson online presents a complete reappraisal of this major renaissance writer, complementing and extending the sevenvolume print edition of jonsons works. A common place book to the holy bible, or, the scriptures sufficiency practically demonstrated. In the beginning of the 18th century a portrait bust was put up to his memory in the poets corner by harley, earl of oxford. It is less an autobiography than a commonplace book. A contemporary of william shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly volpon. Ben jonson was one of the worlds greatest literary minds. A man of vast reading and a seemingly insatiable appetite for controversy, jonson had an unparalleled breadth of influence on jacobean and caroline playwrights and poets. Among his completed surviving works are seventeen plays, more than thirty court masques and entertainments, an english grammar, a commonplace book. One spindle is a diamondshaped heraldic device shared with the bordercountry johnstone family of annandale. When ben jonson was a small boy, his tutor, william camden, persuaded him of the. The real quality of this comedy is in its personages and in the theory upon which they are conceived.
The cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson online presents a complete reappraisal of this major renaissance writer, complementing and extending the sevenvolume print edition of jonson s works. Ben jonson, after shakespeare the most eminent writer for the elizabethan stage, was born in 1573, and died in 1635. June 11, 1572 august 6, 1637 was an english renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. Ben jonson, english stuart dramatist, lyric poet, and literary critic.