Twenty-First-Century Children's Gothic

This critical study revitalizes Ben Jonson's classic comedy Volpone for a modern audience, skillfully re-examining the play's cunning characters and satirical plot through the distinct lenses of psychoanalysis, poststructuralism, and Marxist theory. Buckley's analysis peels back the layers of Jonson's text to reveal the psychological drives of its infamous tricksters, the instability of its linguistic and social structures, and the sharp critique of a society obsessed with wealth and inheritance. The book masterfully demonstrates how these contemporary theoretical frameworks can unlock new, urgent meanings in a four-hundred-year-old drama, making its exploration of greed and performance feel startlingly relevant.

What makes this work particularly compelling is its refusal to treat these complex theories as separate entities, instead weaving them into a cohesive and accessible argument that illuminates the play from multiple angles simultaneously. Students and scholars of early modern drama will find an indispensable guide that bridges the historical and the theoretical, while any reader interested in literary criticism will appreciate the clear, applied demonstration of how modern thought can converse with classic texts. The result is a transformative reading that proves Volpone is not a relic, but a vibrant, living commentary on the very systems that continue to shape our world.