JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Sexual Politics of Paratexts: John Day's Gorboduc.

  • Published In: Review of English Studies, 2023, v. 74, n. 314. P. 222 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Sincox, Bailey 3 of 3

Abstract

This article examines the printer John Day’s 1570 prefatory letter to the second octavo edition (O2) of *Gorboduc, or The Tragedie of Ferrex and Porrex* (1561), arguing that Day frames the play as an anti-tyranny polemic by metaphorically representing it as a sexually assaulted woman akin to Lucrece. This reading situates *Gorboduc* within a discourse on the limits of sovereign power and justifies resistance to tyranny, reflecting Day’s Protestant reformist agenda amid the political tensions of 1570 England. The article contextualizes Day’s edition alongside his broader printing career, notably his work on Foxe’s *Actes and Monuments* and Thomas Norton’s political treatises, highlighting how Day marketed *Gorboduc* as part of a Protestant political project. By synthesizing historicist, feminist, and book historical approaches, the study reveals how Day’s paratext shapes the play’s reception, urging readers to interpret *Gorboduc* as a call to political action against tyrannical rule.

Additional Information

  • Source:Review of English Studies. 2023/04, Vol. 74, Issue 314, p222
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Literature and Writing
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0034-6551
  • DOI:10.1093/res/hgac089
  • Accession Number:163565061
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