Alexandra Atiya
My dissertation, “Economic and Spiritual Conflict in Medieval East Anglian Drama,” investigates the relationship between economic conflicts and dramatic forms in late-medieval morality and miracle plays. Focusing on the depiction of trade, labor rebellion, and corruption in plays including the Croxton Play of the Sacrament, Mankind, Wisdom, and The Castle of Perseverance, I argue that contemporary economic conflicts are more than just topical villains or vices slotted into a didactic model of drama; rather, they seem to shape the plays’ variegated and unusual dramatic forms. Building on recent work that re-evaluates the morality play genre, my dissertation employs close reading of play texts, analysis of manuscript evidence, and research into relevant historical contexts to examine the blurring of moral boundaries and the adaptability of allegory in late-medieval performance.
