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This study examines the sociocultural context of ten plays, including 15 song texts, performed during the formative years of the Bernese Reformation. It treats not only three pre-reform carnival plays by Niklaus Manuel, but also six newly edited works by local court secretary Hans von Rute.
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THEATER, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY IN REFORMATION BERN, 1523-1555 STUDIES IN MEDIEVALAND REFORMATION THOUGHT FOUNDED BY HEIKO A. OBERMAN f EDITED BY ANDREW COLIN GOW, Edmonton, Alberta IN COOPERATION WITH THOMAS A. BRADY, Jr., Berkeley, California SUSAN C. KARANT-NUNN, Tucson, Arizona JURGEN MIETHKE, Heidelberg M. E. H. NICOLETTE MOUT, Leiden HEIKO A. OBERMAN |, Tucson, Arizona ANDREW PETTEGREE, St. Andrews MANFRED SCHULZE, Wuppertal VOLUME LXXXV GLENN EHRSTINE THEATER, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY IN REFORMATION BERN, 1523-1555 THEATER, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY IN REFORMATION BERN, 1523-1555 BY GLENN EHRSTINE BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON • KOLN 2002 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ehrstine, Glenn: Theatre, culture, and community in Reformation Bern, 1523-1555 p. cm. — (Studies in medieval and Reformation thought, ISSN 0585-6914 ; v. 85) ISBN 9004123539 (alk. paper) 1. Swiss drama (German)—Switzerland—Bern (Canton)—History and criticism. 2. Swiss drama (German)—Early modern, 1500-1700-History and criticism. 3. Christian drama, German—Switzerland—Bern (Canton)—History and criticism. 4. Theater—Switzerland—Bern (Canton) -History—16th century. 5. Protestantism and literature. 6. Reformation-Switzerland—Bern (Canon) 7. Bern (Switzerland : Canton)—Church history—16th century. 8. Arts, Swiss—Switzerland—Bern (Canton) PT3877.B39T442001 792'.09494'5409031—dc21 2001043292 Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Ehrstine, Glenn: Theater, culture, and community in reformation Bern, 1523 - 1555 / by Glenn Ehrstine. - Leiden ; Boston ; Koln : Brill, 2001 (Studies in medieval and reformation thought ; Vol. 85) ISBN 90-04-12353-9 ISSN 0585-6914 ISBN 9004 123539 © Copyright 2002 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy itemsfor internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 DanversA'IA01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS In memoriam ELLIS DUANE EHRSTINE (1924-2001) This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Preface and Acknowledgements Illustrations Abbreviations Chapter One: Performing the Protestant Reformation a. Theater and Reformation in Bern b. The Stage as Pulpit: Reformers on Theater c. Enacting Community Chapter Two: Bern at the Crossroads of Reform a. Bern, Swiss Protestantism, and the Helvetian Confederacy b. Literature and the Arts c. Plays and Playwrights Chapter Three: Protestant Carnival: A Contradiction in Terms? a. b. c. d. ix xiii xvii 1 6 15 31 42 44 58 67 79 Transgression, Politics, and Religion Niklaus Manuel and Bernese Carnival before 1528 Reformation Theology and Carnival Post-Reformation Carnival in Bern (1530-1534) 84 90 113 117 Chapter Four: Theocracy and Theater a. Piety and Patriarchy b. The Armor of Faith: Goliath (1535, 1545, 1555) c. "Pious on account of good works": Potiphar's Wife in Joseph (1538) d. Revolt, Order, and Iconoclasm in Gedeon (1540) e. "That it be told every instant": Bearing Witness in Noe (1546