{"product_id":"a-defence-of-pretence-civility-and-the-theatre-in-early-modern-england-paperback","title":"A Defence of Pretence: Civility and the Theatre in Early Modern England - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eIndira Ghose\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the drama of Shakespeare's time demonstrates the tensions within civility\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIs civility merely a matter of reinforcing status and excluding others? Or is it a lubricant in a polarised world, enabling us to overcome tribal loyalties and cooperate for the common good? In \u003ci\u003eA\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eDefence of Pretence\u003c\/i\u003e, Indira Ghose argues that it is both. Ghose turns to the drama of Shakespeare's time to explore the notion of civility. The theatre, she suggests, was a laboratory where many of the era's conflicts played out. The plays test the precepts found in treatises on civility and show that, in the complexity and confusion of human life, moral purity is an illusion. We are always playing roles. In these plays, as in social life, pretence is inescapable. Could it be a virtue? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCivility, Ghose finds, is radically ambiguous. The plays of Shakespeare, Jonson and Middleton, grappling with dissimulation, lies and social performance, question the idea of a clear-cut boundary between sincerity and dissembling, between truth and lies. What is decisive is the use to which our play-acting is put. A pretence of mutual respect might serve an ethical end: to foster a sense of common purpose. In life, as in drama, the concept of the common good might be a fiction, but one that is crucial for human society.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndira Ghose\u003c\/b\u003e is emeritus professor of English at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eWomen Travellers in Colonial India\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eShakespeare and Laughter: A Cultural History\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMuch Ado About Nothing: Language and Writing\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eShakespeare in Jest\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 280\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.63 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 02, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53337022890349,"sku":"9780691269986","price":53.08,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1001\/0823\/9213\/files\/4KxYamJVDa9780691269986.webp?v=1778922877","url":"https:\/\/cleanfreaklab.myshopify.com\/products\/a-defence-of-pretence-civility-and-the-theatre-in-early-modern-england-paperback","provider":"Clean Freak Lab","version":"1.0","type":"link"}