Ben Jonson: His Life and Work [Hardcover]

Rosalind Miles (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Routledge Kegan & Paul (November 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0710208383
• ISBN-13: 978-0710208385
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #731,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ben Jonson's Life Makes Good Reading, November 21, 2002

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ben Jonson: His Life and Work (Hardcover)

For me, as for many, Ben Jonson has remained hidden in the shadow of Shakespeare. Recently, I read four satirical comedies by Jonson - Volpone, The Alchemist, Epicene, and Bartholomew Fair - and I was surprised by how well his humor had weathered the cultural change of four centuries. In looking around for more works by Jonson, I stumbled upon an intriguing biography titled "Ben Jonson, His Life and Work" by Rosalind Miles.

Ben Jonson is remembered for some of his plays and for much of his poetry. He was the master of the English masque, a formal court entertainment played before the king. His masques for King James were elaborate productions involving rich allegorical verse, gorgeous costumes, and magnificent scenery automated by machinery. In 1616 King James granted him 65 pounds a year for life and Ben Jonson thereby became the first Poet Laureate of England.

Jonson did not live the quiet life of a scholar. Adventure, danger, crisis, and bellicose debate characterized his life, and as Dr. Miles observed, Jonson could never play life safe. As a young man, he volunteered for military service fighting Spain in Holland, but the action was limited. Incredibly, he challenged one of the invading Spanish soldiers to single combat in the no-man's land between the two armies. He killed his opponent and like a scene from classical literature, victoriously stripped him of his weapons and armor. Several years later in London he barely avoided death by hanging for killing an actor in a duel. He was forced to defend himself in the courts on political censorship charges on several occasions. At age 46 he inexplicitably journeys on foot 400 miles to Scotland, saying that he had a "salmon-like instinct" to visit the place of his ancient origins. Ben Jonson's life makes good reading.

Dr. Miles has created a fascinating and enjoyable blend of biography, history, and literary review. For me the highlight of this well researched biography was her extensive use of the writings of Ben Jonson and of his contemporaries, both admirers and detractors. I highly recommend her book to any reader with interest in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama and poetry.