Dario's Individual Entry: Week 1.

During this first week of research my group and I have discovered that the focus of our topic is a rather broad and obscure one. We have chosen to research specifically the N-Town cycles which are a compilation of plays that basically re-staged biblical stories. The first problem with this is that there isn't really any specific playwrights, because they're all biblical stories. Originally our proposal was going to focus on how the structure of specific N-Town plays were affected by the economic, social, and political structure of 15th Century Medieval England. However, after talking this over with Will we came to the conclusion that we need to focus on What are the Cycle Plays? What is their definition? and What was their purpose? Along with these questions, How are the N-Town Plays different compared to the othe group cycled plays?
      Way in the beginning of the research process, when Will first assigned us our topic, I found a couple of books and articles that peaked my interest. One of them is a book called "Drama in the Middle Ages", and in it there are numerous articles about said topic. There is one specifically that focuses on Narrative Bible Cycles in Medieval Art and Drama. There are four major extant mystery cycles: The plays of York, Chester, Wakefield, and N-Town. These cycles are characterized by a selection of episodes which mainly recount events from the book of Genesis and Exodus. Evidently, the N-Town cycle includes a large number of plays dealing with the questionable authenticity of Mary. This is interesting because it irks the question of why the church allowed plays that questioned the authenticity of Mary, if they were the ones who controlled what was being staged? Why do we know so little about the N-Town plays?
   As I delve further into my research I hope to answer these questions in full detail.

Davidson, Clifford, and John H. Stroupe. Narrative Bible Cycles in Medieval Art and Drama. Drama in the Middle Ages: Comparative and Critical Essays: Second Series. New York, NY: AMS, 1991. 118-20. Print.