Book review: Deanna Shemek, In Continuous Expectation: Isabella d’Este’s Reign of Letters

Abstract

borates her nevertheless compelling argument by resorting to musicologist Emily Wilbourne’s recent scholarship on the aural relation between improvisational theatre and early opera (Seventeenth-Century Opera and the Sound of the Commedia dell’Arte, 2016). The final part of the chapter focuses on gesture, for which analysis Schmitt draws on visual representations contained in both the Scala scenarios and the Corsini collection. The author rightfully stresses the potential effectiveness of gesture and its tight correlation with speech (aptly citing Quintilian in this regard) and argues that this “serve[s] to refine our understanding of the comprehension of characters’ use of dialects” (49). Chapter Three analyzes the uses of masks, perhaps the most recognizable aspect of commedia dell’arte performance. The author begins bymaking a distinction between character masks (i.e., Pantalone, Arlecchino, Dottore, etc.) and other types of masks (i.e., animals, gods, spirits, classical figures, etc.), specifically concentrating on three fundamental scenario collections, that is the Corsini, the Locatelli and, of course, the Scala. Of note are Schmitt’s acute observations regarding the social conflicts that the different types of masks would bring to the forefront of the dramatic action, building on an argument that had been already proposed by Stephen Orgel with regards to the “fantasies of freedom” for women and servants alike in a markedly patriarchal, hierarchical society (63). In the final section of the book, the author brings her discussion of performance techniques to a close by examining the presumed or actual persistence of commedia dell’arte in contemporary theatre. Despite emphasizing the presence of broadly intended improvisational modes in groups active today (she makes a point of referencing several, most notably the Improvised Shakespeare Company, based in Chicago), Schmitt ultimately dampens the idea that the phenomenon she analyzed throughout the book survived the centuries in a meaningful way (any mention of Dario Fo and his Nobel-Prize-worthy work, however, would have been necessary). More than a thesis-oriented monograph, Performing Commedia dell’Arte is a rich repository of intelligent observations and clever suggestions that one would have liked to see developed in a more cohesive way. The publisher, also, should have done a much stronger job of polishing the text and readying it for print. The egregious number of typos (i.e., “commedia erudite” instead of “commedia erudita,” throughout the book), misspellings (i.e., “Luigi Riccobone” instead of “Luigi Riccoboni,” 26), and typographical inconsistencies contributed to the impression of dealing with an unfinished product, which is unfortunate given the author’s—and the publisher’s, as a matter of fact—reputation and abilities.