Ardolino, Frank R.. Spenser, Kyd, and the authorship of "The Spanish Tragedy"

Folger bibliographic ID: 366857
Folger holdings ID: 514911

"This book maintains that Edmund Spenser and not Thomas Kyd is the author of The Spanish Tragedy in 1590/1592. My argument is based on the strength of the internal evidence and not on computermetric, linguistic statistics, or parallel passages. The Spanish Tragedy and Spenser's works are united by sources, themes, methods, and language to the point of authorial equation. Thomas Heywood provided the only attribution of the play to Kyd in 1612, but given the depth of the learning, the apocalyptic context of the anti-Spanish theme, and the literary, rhetorical, and metadramatic sophistication of The Spanish Tragedy, it is much more probable that Spenser wrote it and not the nearly anonymous journeyman writer Kyd. Throughout the book for purposes of argument and clarity, I refer to Kyd as the author of The Spanish Tragedy. However, at the conclusion, I replace Kyd with Spenser as the author based on the evidence presented"--

General notes

Includes bibliographical references and index

Contents

Part I: Apuleius, Kyd, and Spenser. The influence of Apuleius on Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy -- Comparison of the incertitude of Apuleius's The Golden Ass and The Spanish Tragedy -- Apuleius and Spenser: mystery contexts and games of authorship -- Part II: Kyd, Spenser, and dramatic methods, rhetoric, and apocalypse and Armada. Comparison of Spenser's dramatic methods and rhetoric in his canon with Kyd's methods and rhetoric in The Spanish Tragedy -- Empedocles, just revenge, veritas filia temporis, and textual silence in the Faerie Queene and The Spanish Tragedy -- Apocalypse and armada in Spenser's canon and The Spanish Tragedy

Extended title: Spenser, Kyd, and the authorship of "The Spanish Tragedy" / Frank R. Ardolino

Kyd, Thomas, 1558-1594. Spanish tragedy Spenser, Edmund, 1552?-1599 Apuleius Spanish tragedy (Kyd, Thomas) Authorship Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.)

author: Ardolino, Frank R., 1941-
subject: Spenser, Edmund, 1552?-1599
subject: Apuleius