The Alchemist and Medieval Faerie Romance

In The Alchemist, Doll's faerie queen is frequently interpreted by critics as representative of Jonson's scepticism toward folkloric belief and superstition. The supernatural-monarch-come-prostitute who appears before Dapper the clerk is thought to be drawn from contemporary accounts of cozeners who would claim to be in contact with the faerie realm in order to part gullible patrons from their money. Jonson's faerie queen thus fits into wider critical discussions on the nature of faeries in Early Modern drama, in which faeries are frequently defined as deriving from rural and domestic folkloric tradition. However, whilst there is certainly some truth to the significance of folklore in representations of faeries on the early modern stage (see Shakespeare's Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream, for example), such arguments have a tendency to downplay the significance of romance in Early Modern society and the ongoing influence of medieval romance convention in the way that faeries are incorporated into Early Modern literature and drama. This essay focuses on The Alchemist as an example of the continued importance of romance in shaping the themes and motifs that are associated with Early Modern faeries. Doll's faerie queen appears as part of a con enacted by the three cozeners, but her role and appearance still draw on certain romance motifs that equate faeries with wealth, aristocracy, and the testing of human morality. Through recognising a connection to romance in Jonson's work, this essay questions how we might better appreciate the meaning of The Alchemist's faerie queen episodes. Jonson, without relinquishing his sceptical approach to the supernatural, uses these motifs as a way of exploring themes of greed, social mobility, and new wealth, themes that permeate throughout the play and throughout his work as a whole.

Zagubione w Austen: Duma i uprzedzenie w postmodernistycznej odsłonie – między parodią a nostalgią

The article analyses an ITV series Lost in Austen (2008), directed by Dan Zeff, as an example of postmodern play with Pride and Prejudice. Moving the contemporary heroine to the imaginary, textual sphere, the movie compares the reality of the 19th and the 21st century, emphasizing the visibly different positions of women. It not only “rewrites” the course of events, but also makes the tensions (which were previously silenced by the romance convention) more dynamic. Oscillating between the parody and nostalgia, Lost in Austen both continues and enriches Pride and Prejudice. Playful engagement with the original novel is the principal theme and motif of the series, but also the subject of its parodistic criticism. Lost in Austen engages both with the novel and with its 20th century reception. Moreover, by creative reinterpretation of the writer’s text, it shows the changing paradigms of the 20th century criticism and the cultural and literary theory. Highlighting the aspects of the novel important for the contemporary era, it initiates an interesting dialogue with the rich intertextual tapestry that contemporary popular culture weaved around Jane Austen.