New Directions in Jonson Scholarship

Situating Ben Jonson: The Cambridge Edition of the <i>Works</i>

“…Ian Donaldson's 'Life of Ben Jonson' offers a straightforward cradle-to-grave summary of the more detailed work encapsulated in his 2011 biography, reviewed by Erin Julian elsewhere in this issue. 23 Donaldson organizes this 'Life' into key movements ('early life', 'middle years', 'final years') and, true to the edition's purposes, places a heavy emphasis on politics and allegiances, serving to introduce the key contexts as well as the author; thus, the period 1610-11 introduces the reception of Epicene and The Alchemist but also the claims of Stephen Janiculo to the throne of Moldavia, the assassination of Henry IV, and the movements of Jonson's Catholic associates Sir Kenelm and Lady Venetia Digby. 24 A reduced emphasis on Jonson's own religious allegiances constitutes the main change from the full biography, but the brief descriptions of key works enhance the utility for a general reader.…”