A wealth of textual footnotes explain colloquialisms and period references. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read volpone. Fortunately, scene one is not representative of the play, and i had little difficulty thereafter with either the plot or the humor. The complete poems penguin classics jonson, ben, parfitt, george on. List of books and articles about ben jonson online. The introduction sets volpone in the context of jonson s career at the time of writing and introduces new material on its relation to the reynard beast epic and the. Volpone and the alchemist dover thrift editions by jonson, ben and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Volpone italian for sly fox is a comedy play by english playwright ben jonson first produced in 16051606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. Since the romantic period, jonson has been an author more respected than read. Jul 22, 2008 ben jonson, dramatist by anne barton offers a thorough and stimulating reading of the plays, while ben jonson and theatre, edited by richard cave, elizabeth schaffer and brian woolland, is a rich. It includes essays on poetry, theatre, criticism, religion, law, the court, the curriculum, medicine, commerce, the city, and family life.
Volpone by ben jonson the 2246th greatest fiction book. The prospect of such wealth invites to his house an assortment of greedy hopefuls, ready to prostitute any ideals in the pursuit of money. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Increase brain power, focus music, reduce anxiety, binaural and isochronic beats duration. Volpone, or the fox, is one of jonson s most popular plays and through the years has been a favorite of both theatergoers and readers. It will be lookd for, book, when some but see thy title, epigrams, and named of me. Volpone tells of a magnifico of venice with no wife or children to whom to leave his fortune. The alchemist edited by elizabeth cook, volpone edited by robert n. Ben jonson has 362 books on goodreads with 30076 ratings. Books go search hello select your address best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store coupons amazonbasics gift cards customer service sell registry. Kim composite of all my lovesless real than most more real than allof my making all the good and. Volpone fox, a wealthy venetian without heirs, devises a scheme to become wealthier by playing on peoples greed. Books by ben johnson author of money talks, bullsht walks. Ben jonson was born in 1572, the posthumous son of a minister, and, thanks to an unknown patron, was educated at westminster.
Ben jonson s hero volpone is an utter crook with an inordinate desire for more and more wealth. Ben johnson paperback or softback by parker, brian and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. He is generally regarded as the second most important english dramatist, after william shakespeare. The cambridge edition of the works of ben jonson online presents a complete reappraisal of this major renaissance writer, complementing and extending the sevenvolume print edition of jonsons works. A comedie, and the alchemist and other plays, and more on. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains jonsons mostperformed play, and it is ranked among the finest jacobean era comedies. A prolific dramatist and a man of letters highly learned in the classics, he profoundly influenced the augustan age through his emphasis on the precepts of. Project gutenberg offers 61,308 free ebooks for kindle, ipad, nook, android, and iphone. Volpone by ben jonson is a comedy play first produced in 160506. Frequently compared with shakespeare, he usually suffers unfairly from the comparison. Hibbard and epicoene or the silent woman edited by roger holdsworth. Ben jonson s classic comedy, in a handy pocket edition in the nick hern books drama classics series. Jonsons four central plays, volpone 1606, epicoene or the silent woman 1609, the alchemist 1610 and bartholomew fair.
Wise, satirically witty, and excellently written, ben jonson s volpone is a study of duplicity, selfishness, and material greed. Nov 30, 2000 ben jonson is, in many ways, the figure of greatest centrality to literary study of the elizabethan and jacobean period. It will be looked for, book, when some but see thy title. Volpone, a venetian crook who fakes illnesses, tricks his acquaintances into paying him money, and turns the circle of those he knows strategically against one another. Apparently jonson knew his scholars well, as volpone was wellreceived at both universities. The introduction and footnotes by gordon campbell are quite good. Ben jonson 15721637 ben jonson was an english stuart dramatist, lyric poet, and literary critic. It calls into question several accepted textual conclusions. A ragtag cast of characters, including a dwarf, a eunuch, and a hermaphrodite, get caught up in the plot along the way. Among his major plays are the comedies every man in his humour 1598, volpone 1605, epicoene. He suffered a paralyzing stroke and lost favor at court after an argument with architect inigo jones and the death of king james i. Books by jonson, ben sorted by popularity project gutenberg books by jonson, ben sorted by popularity. Benjamin jonson was an english playwright and poet, whose artistry exerted a lasting impact. See all books authored by ben jonson, including volpone or the foxe.
Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. Or, the fox by ben jonson dramatis personae volpone, a magnifico castrone, an eunuch mosca, his parasite androgyno, an hermaphrodite voltore, an advocate grege or mob corbaccio an old gentleman commandadori, officers of justice corvino, a merchant avocatori, three magistrates bonario, son to corbaccio notario, the register. See all books authored by ben johnson, including the healing code. Ben jonson books list of books by author ben jonson thriftbooks. Volpone is a comedy by ben jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. Only known edition of annotated ben jonson plays saved for the nation this article is more than 2 years old. On leaving westminster school, jonson was to have attended the university of cambridge, to continue his book learning but did not, because of. Bartholmew fair new mermaids by jonson, ben and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Bringing together four of the most popular and widely studied of ben jonson s plays, this anthology focuses on the city comedies for which jonson is best known today. Ben johnson has 4 books on goodreads with 1588 ratings. Another widely available source is the inexpensive oxford worlds classics, the alchemist and other plays by ben jonson. A play that has suffered many adaptations may be read here in its original form. Volpone by ben jonson abebooks shop for books, art. Benjamin jonson was an english renaissance dramatist, poet and actor.
This edition contains in distilled form the insight and learning found in the fuller revels critical editions, but with less of the learning apparatus that is ap. Ben jonson revels student editions by parker, brian and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Volpone by ben jonson volpone1 italian for sly fox is a comedy play by english playwright ben jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. Volpone, or, the fox by ben jonson read by full audio book.
Ben johnson books list of books by author ben johnson. By using a running englishtohindi thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of volpone by ben jonson was edited for three audiences. Wise, satirically witty, and excellently written, ben jonsons volpone is a study of duplicity, selfishness, and material greed. Page xxiv the fox, the alchemist, and silent woman, done by ben jonson, and outdone by no man. Volpone, comedy in five acts by ben jonson, performed about 160506 and published in 1607. It was an audacious act of selfpromotion and a landmark event in english literary history. Unlike shakespeare, ben jonson s characters seldom reflect on their motivations in soliloquies or insightful dialogue. Volpone, or, the fox by ben jonson free at loyal books. This is the only edition to include both plays in one, inexpensive volume. In this book anne barton gives a reading of the plays which completely reevaluates jonson as a dramatist.
Although arrogant and contentious, he was a boon companion, and his followers, sometimes called the sons of ben, loved to gather with him in the london taverns. Volpone by jonson, ben and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. After this he was for a brief time apprenticed to his stepfather as a. Volphones reverential prayer to his heaps of gold launches the sharpest, funniest play about money and morals in the 17th century a play still wickedly relevant. Ben jonsons plays and masques second edition norton critical editions paperback. Volpone and other plays ebook written by ben jonson.
By ben jonson illustrated kindle edition by ben jonson. Professor kernan offers his own interpretation, in a critical introduction that fully exploits the rich imagery, intricate plot development, and skillful delineation of character. In this uproarious satire from jacobean playwright ben jonson, the clever venetian gentleman volpone hatches an outrageous scheme to dupe a greedy trio of hangerson who are after his fortune. A prolific dramatist and a man of letters highly learned in the classics, he profoundly influenced the augustan age through his emphasis on the precepts of horace, aristotle, and other classical greek and latin thinkers. For a girl in a book poem by ben jonson poem hunter. Ben jonson published the collected volume of his works in 1616, when he was in his early forties. See all books authored by ben jonson, including the alchemist and other plays, and volpone or the foxe. Ben jonson has 362 books on goodreads with 30225 ratings. Only known edition of annotated ben jonson plays saved for. Edited by jonas a barish, this edition of volpone or the fox for performance and study also includes an introduction, a list of principal dates in the life of ben jonson and a. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks. I am a fan of dover thrift editions, but i dont recommend the dover volpone 1994 edition for a first reading of jonson as the footnotes are sparse. Or, the silent woman, by ben jonson internet archive.
Ben johnsons most popular book is money talks, bullsht walks. When volpone and mosca practice their schemes on innocent victims, however, the. Jonson exerted a strong influence over his contemporaries. His gulling of the three characters wo hope to inherit is riches was quite wonderful.
Volpone is a man who could stand with some of todays greedy men. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading volpone. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains jonsons mostperformed play, and it is among the finest jacobean era comedies. Jonson was appointed london historian in 1628, but that same year, his life took a downward turn. Ben jonson, renaissance dramatist, playwright, and poet, competitor to william shakespeare. Mar 27, 2018 books this article is more than 2 years old. Ben jonson, english stuart dramatist, lyric poet, and literary critic. These muchstudied and frequently performed comedies by the great elizabethan playwright satirize the greed, mendacity, gullibility, and pretension that jonson saw rampant in 17hcentury london society. Volpone is a venetian aristocrat, a loveable rogue who enjoys the cunning pursuit of wealth more than money itself.
Both plays feature colorful characters, ingenious plotting, biting wit, and sharp insight into human nature. The text is preceded by the argument and prologue to the play. Project gutenberg offers 61791 free ebooks for kindle, ipad, nook, android, and iphone. This is the most thoroughly investigated edition of volpone to date, based on a wider collation of the 1607 quarto and 1616 folio versions than was previously possible. May 01, 2003 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Websters paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in english courses. The play draws on elements of city comedy and beast fable and is a classic that has been enjoyed by many for generations. Best sellers gift ideas new releases whole foods todays deals amazonbasics coupons gift cards. Volpones parasite, mosca, assists him in milking these pretenders as they deserve.
In that period, ann lewis and ben jonson lived separate lives for five years. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store coupons amazonbasics gift cards help sell. With the complicity of his servant mosca fly, volpone pretends to be near death. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains jonson s mostperformed play, and.
List of books and articles about ben jonson online research. Volpone by ben jonson abebooks abebooks shop for books. Examples of his conversation were recorded in conversations with ben jonson by drummond of hawthornden. But outside the recent bank crisis it is a richly comic play. Ben jonson was born by name of benjamin jonson in london on june 11th, 1572, two months after his father died. Ben jonson books list of books by author ben jonson. Music for body and spirit meditation music recommended for you. Ben jonson is among the bestknown writers and theorists of english renaissance literature, second in reputation only to shakespeare. Appears in 29 books from 18172004 page 199 that he thought not bartas a poet, but a verser, because he wrote not fiction.