The authors of this compilation each define "solo performances" within slightly different contexts. Some work within the context of drama, in which the characters stage themselves as
individuals. Others look at actions of people who created their own sort of street theater, even from the pillory, to convey their beliefs and establish their solo identity. Berns (English
literature, University of Hamburg) provides the context for the book in her introduction, giving various aspects of the theme as presented. Most of the essays take a new look at literary works
such as plays by Shakespeare, Jonson and Marlowe for clues as to how the self was defined. Two discuss the work of John Donne. One section is devoted to the ways in which the role of the
sovereign, especially in the seventeenth century, is altered. The most intriguing example of a solo performance is the case of John Lilburn, who used his time in the pillory to demonstrate his
own suffering while expounding upon the beliefs that brought him there. Price is converted from euros and subject to fluctuation. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
