If Is the Only Peacemaker
The Catholic Humanist Rhetoric of As You Like It
- Arts & Literature
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
If Is the Only Peacemaker explores the drama of Shakespeare through a cultural lens that can be shown to be central to the formation of this theatrical art: fourteenth- to sixteenth-century Catholic Humanism. Part I of this book traces this tradition through key figures in Medieval and Renaissance Humanism, including Dante, Chaucer, Erasmus, and Thomas More. The latter two, especially, convey Catholic Humanism to Shakespeare's England, and help to establish a rhetorical ideal: the union of eloquentia and sapientia, of wit and wisdom. Part II then closely reads one of Shakespeare's major comedies, As You Like It, through this ideal, finding in this play an outstanding example of the Catholic Humanist rhetoric central to Shakespeare's art. This part of the book also mingles rhetorical and performance criticism, citing six different productions of As You Like It.
Endorsements (2)
“If Is the Only Peacemaker provides a seminal reassessment of the cultural and spiritual roots of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy As You Like It. Maillet’s . . . use of Shakespeare’s own contemporary tools of rhetoric to read the play allows for fascinating new light on such issues as gender and spirituality, while being itself a refreshing and celebratory experience.”
“Maillet . . . offers here a sweeping genealogy of Catholic Humanism, tracing it from the Bible through Augustine and medieval great texts to the writings of such as Erasmus and Thomas More. This worldview, honed by elegant Renaissance rhetoric, provides the lens through which he surveys the beauties of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Learned but highly accessible, Maillet’s book offers a valuable introduction to Christian humanism plus a probing yet engaging account of Shakespeare’s winsome comedy.”
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