{"title":"The Prodigal Son in Elizabethan Literature","authors":"A. Jack","doi":"10.1093/OSO/9780198817291.003.0002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This chapter considers the influence of Roman comedies, such as those of Terence, on the development of a Prodigal Son tradition in Elizabethan literature. It is argued that the potential danger of rebellion against authority, and fears about change and its consequences in a period of stability following religious and economic upheaval, offer a context in which the parable might be meaningfully adapted. The ubiquity of the paradigm is explained in the light of this historical setting, and the tendency for writers to identify with the figure of the Prodigal is explored.","PeriodicalId":404537,"journal":{"name":"The Prodigal Son in English and American Literature","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2018-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"The Prodigal Son in English and American Literature","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OSO/9780198817291.003.0002","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This chapter considers the influence of Roman comedies, such as those of Terence, on the development of a Prodigal Son tradition in Elizabethan literature. It is argued that the potential danger of rebellion against authority, and fears about change and its consequences in a period of stability following religious and economic upheaval, offer a context in which the parable might be meaningfully adapted. The ubiquity of the paradigm is explained in the light of this historical setting, and the tendency for writers to identify with the figure of the Prodigal is explored.