Volpone's Bastards

Brings Ben Jonson to the twenty-first century by reading Volpone through psychoanalysis, poststructuralism and Marxism Through studying Volpone's three bastard children - the dwarf, the androgyne and the eunuch - from the theoretical argument of Freud, Lacan, Derrida and Foucault, this book discusses how Jonson's comedies are built upon the tension between death, castration and nothingness on one hand, and the comic slippage of identities in the city on the other. This study understands Jonson, first and foremost, as a comedy writer, linking his work with modern film comedies such as the Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Monty Python. It is a new approach to Jonsonian studies, responding to the current Marxist-Lacanian studies of literature, film and culture made popular by scholars such as Slavoj Zizek, Alenka Zupancic and Mladen Dolar. While the book pays close attention to the historical context of Jonson's time, it brings him to the twenty-first century by discussing early modern comedies with modern critical theories and film. Key Features - Reads Ben Jonson in fresh ways from various theoretical perspectives including psychoanalysis, poststructuralism and Marxism - Shows readers how the dwarf, the androgyne, the eunuch and the parasite are instrumental to the understanding of Volpone and other Jonson's comedies including Epicoene, The Alchemist and Bartholomew Fair - Provides readers with a new understanding of Jonson's comedy, early modern city comedy and the difference between comedy and tragedy - Compares Jonson with other early modern plays such as Shakespeare's King Richard III and Twelfth Night, Middleton's A Mad World, My Masters and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside and Massinger's The Renegado - Compares Jonson's comedies with modern film comedies such as the Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Monty Python

Isaac Hui is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Translation at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He has published a range of articles on Jonson, Shakespeare, comedy, and on the studies of English translation of Chinese literature.

1. Introduction: Jonson and Comedy; 2. 'For pleasing imitation of greater men's action' - Nano the Anamorphic Ape; 3. 'Think me cold, frozen, and impotent, and so report me?' - Volpone and his 'Castrone' Complex; 4. 'The case appears too liquid' - The Two Sides of Androgyno; 5. 'I fear I shall begin to grow in love with my dear self': the Parasite and his 'Mirror Stage'; 6. Jonson's Comedy of Bastardy; 7. Conclusion: 'Fools, they are the only Nation' - Re-reading the interlude and Beyond.