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Marisa Cull |
Randolph-Macon College
English Professor Marisa Cull had one of her essays published in a new book. The essay, titled
Contextualizing 1610: Cymbeline, The Valiant Welshman, and the Princes of Wales, is one of twelve essays in
Shakespeare and Wales (Ashgate, 2010), which was edited by two leading scholars in the field of British national identity. The book, which features important essays on Shakespeare’s work as it relates to Wales, will be released on February 1, 2010.
Cull’s essay explores two plays that were produced against the backdrop of the installation of Henry, James I’s eldest son, as the Prince of Wales in 1610. She argues that each play, though similar in subject matter and historical context, chooses to represent Welshness in distinct ways, owing to the split in public opinion about the young Prince Henry. While one play celebrates the valiant martial spirit so embodied by the young Henry, and so connected to ancient Welsh tradition, the other portrays the Welsh tradition as dangerously uncivilized, ultimately endorsing a more pacifist perspective—one that would be pleasing to the conflict-averse King James. These plays not only demonstrate the unique perspective on Wales and its importance to the English nation at a particularly pressured moment in history, they also shed a new light on how playing companies adapted their material to reflect the particular interests of their patrons and their audiences.
Cull teaches courses in Renaissance literature at the college, as well as first-year writing and a course in the short novel. She is involved in the Washington Literary Society and is the faculty advisor for R-MC’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international honors society for English studies.
Cull joined the faculty at Randolph-Macon College in 2008. She earned her B.A. from Capital University and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Ohio State University.