{"id":12,"date":"2014-02-28T12:09:10","date_gmt":"2014-02-28T12:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2014-05-05T22:52:12","modified_gmt":"2014-05-05T22:52:12","slug":"webster-in-context","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/webster-in-context\/","title":{"rendered":"Webster in Context"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\">Very little is known about the life of John Webster, including the most basic biographical facts. Scholars assume that he lived from about 1580 to 1634. He was active during a time called the Jacobean period. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, Webster was the author of two famous plays: <em>The White Devil<\/em> and <em>The Duchess of Malfi<\/em>. The dramatic technique and style of the two plays suggest that Webster\u2019s two great tragedies were written around the same time, between 1608 and 1613. Both are revenge dramas. Deeds are monstrous and the motives spring from overpowering passions. Pathos is absent, compassion unknown. Revulsion is not an uncommon response.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Webster was a major dramatist of the Jacobean period (1603\u201325), which was named after King James I. The differences between the early Jacobean and the preceding Elizabethan periods are minor. Although the dynasty changed, there was no distinct stylistic transition. Jacobean literature is often darkly questioning. William Shakespeare\u2019s\u00a0greatest tragedies were written between about 1601 and 1607. Other Jacobean dramatic playwrights became preoccupied with the problem of evil: the plays of John Webster, John Marston, Thomas Middleton, and George Chapman induce all the terror of tragedy.\u00a0<em>The White Devil<\/em> and <em>The Duchess of Malfi<\/em> exemplify Jacobean tragedy\u2019s obsession with the idea of moral corruption. Often horrifically violent, these pieces display a generally cynical and pessimistic outlook on life.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Scott-Kilvert, I. (1979). <em>British writers.<\/em> New York: Scribner.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Stapleton, M. (1983). <em>The Cambridge guide to English literature<\/em>. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">http:\/\/www.britannica.com\/EBchecked\/topic\/298978\/Jacobean-age<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">http:\/\/www.dramaonlinelibrary.com\/periods\/jacobean-iid-2346<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The raft drew beyond the middle of the river; the boys pointed her head right, and then lay on their oars.<\/p>\n<p>The river was not high, so there was not more than a two or three mile current. Hardly a wor <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/webster-in-context\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":334,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406,"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions\/406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.la.utexas.edu\/tdom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}