Better a Shrew than a Sheep: Women, Drama, and the Culture of Jest in Early Modern England Hardcover – January 8, 2003

Pamela Allen Brown's Better a Shrew than a Sheep is a well researched analysis of 16th and 17th century gender humor in England: both at the expense of women, and women's ripostes. Using plays such as Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Jonson's The Alchemist, lesser known ballads, wood cuttings and related archeological research, Ms. Brown argues that women during this period were not submissive to husbands; but rather had good ripostes and socially ostracizing jesting tools for use against cruel or philandering husbands. Though gender-centric it is not larded up with 20th century politically correct truisms: her focus regarding the literature itself is constant. This reviewer has, admittedly, never read many of the plays she references. Prospective readers similarly unversed in Elizabethan literature should review some of the works she refers to. Comprehending her literary points (without reading some of the plays identified in it) can be as cumbersome as appreciating an entire symphony based on three bars. On the other hand, it is probably easier to read her book and understand the points she makes when she cites passages of ballads, than it would be to read an extremely annotated volume of antiquated ballads and try to make sense of them without Ms. Brown's assistance. As dramaturgy for actors involved in Shakespearean productions or Renaissance festivals; or as historic backdrop for students of 16th and 17th century English literature, this is a very useful book. University English and drama departments and theater companies should consider including it in their syllabuses and libraries.