Description: Both historically and theoretically this book deals the work and the life of Joost van den Vondel, the most famous and controversial Dutch playwright in the Dutch Republic. Over twenty-five of his tragedies are analyzed, offering an overview of different theoretical approaches. Historically, Vondel is situated in his own times and in the present.
Review Quotes: "[This book] serves a dual purpose. It is the first comprehensive discussion of Vondel's drama in English, and it offers a sampling of both more traditional and novel approaches. [...] It brings Vondel's large theatrical output to the attention of Anglophone readers, but does much more than that: by letting the light of theory shine on these plays, the book demonstrates just how rich, fresh, and valuable a writer Vondel remains."
Theo Hermans, University College London. In: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Spring 2013), pp. 345-347.
"this volume manages to present Vondel's dramatic oeuvre in all its breadth for an international audience. It is a work of reference on the one hand and a research laboratory and forum for debate on the other. To its credit, this volume features the whole spectrum of past and present research on Vondel's plays and integrates representatives of different methodological and theoretical provenance."
Maria-Theresia Leuker, University of Cologne. In: Journal of Dutch Literature, Vol. 4, No. 2 (December 2013), pp. 92-102.