The folk play and the carol in medieval religious drama.

Abstract

The importance of establishing written English drama during the Middle Ages is commonly acknowledged, but factors affecting its growth are still appropriate areas for further research. For example, at the time that the Church was developing a literary drama, there existed among the folk certain performances of a dramatic nature, and two of these dramatic folk traditions--the folk play or mummers' play and the carol--are of some consequence in English literary history. This author perceived a need to bring together a number of scholarly comments upon these two folk traditions With a recognition of the Wide range of opinions that such a study entails. Although the folk play did not distinguish itself as a medieval literary form in quite the same way as did the carol in the latter's evolvement of a unique type of written poetry, both deserve individual attention from a literary point of view since both in their medieval application partake of a dramatic nature worthy of observance. This thesis involves an examination of the dramatic elements inherent in these two folk traditions With a consideration of the carol's significance as a literary form in its own right and the relationship between the folk play and the carol, the ultimate objective being an investigation of the extent to which these two dramatic folk traditions under consideration influenced medieval literary drama from the liturgical plays through the mystery and miracle plays. The idea for this topic emerged from a research project on the Middle English carol in Dr. Charles E. Walton's seminar in Middle English Literature. I wish to express special thanks to my thesis supervisor, Dr. Walton, for his guidance and beneficial criticism of the text and to my second reader, Mr. Richard L. Roahen, for his helpful suggestions on the manuscript. I also wish to thank Mr. James Knott for his assistance in the interpretation of Latin terms and my parents and brothers for their encouragement. July, 1975 D. I. D. Emporia, Kansas