City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2014 Exquisite Corpses: Fantasies of Necrophilia in Early Modern English Drama Linda K. Neiberg Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1420 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact:
[email protected] EXQUISITE CORPSES: FANTASIES OF NECROPHILIA IN EARLY MODERN ENGLISH DRAMA by LINDA K. NEIBERG A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 ii © 2014 LINDA K. NEIBERG All Rights Reserved iii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in English in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Mario DiGangi Date Chair of Examining Committee Carrie Hintz Date Acting Executive Officer Mario DiGangi Richard C. McCoy Steven F. Kruger Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iv Abstract EXQUISITE CORPSES: FANTASIES OF NECROPHILIA IN EARLY MODERN ENGLISH DRAMA by LINDA K. NEIBERG Adviser: Professor Mario DiGangi My dissertation examines representations of necrophilia in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. From the 1580s, when London’s theatres began to flourish, until their closure by Parliament in 1642, necrophilia was deployed as a dramatic device in a remarkable number of plays.