Columbia Shakespeare Seminar: Jean Howard

Abstract: The sensorium is the unique sensory environment in which individuals and members of a community live. In this paper I explore the deliberate way Jonson experiments with the theatrical creation of a distinctly urban sensorium involving cacophonous noise or pleasant sound, unwanted or titillating touch, noxious or savory odors, the jostling motion of figures in a crowd, the kinetic pressure of speeded-up work regimes. Onstage, in plays such as The Alchemist, Epicene, Every Man Out of His Humor,and Bartholomew Fair, Jonson exploits the resources of the stage to suggest these sensory aspects of urban life and to define London in terms of the novel experiences of the bodies who inhabit it and to create social distinctions among those whose bodily experiences differ.

The event will be held in Faculty House, 64 Morningside Drive. As always social hour will be from 5-6, dinner 6-7, and the talk 7-8:30. The cost for dinner, payable by check only, is now $30. Please contact Alexander Lash to request a copy of the Evite and RSVP by Monday October 31.