Theater of State

This book chronicles the expansion and creation of new public spheres in and around Parliament in the early Stuart period. It focuses on two closely interconnected narratives: the changing nature of communication and discourse within parliamentary chambers and the interaction of Parliament with the wider world of political dialogue and the dissemination of information. Concentrating on the rapidly changing practices of Parliament in print culture, rhetorical strategy, and lobbying during the 1620s, this book demonstrates that Parliament not only moved toward the center stage of politics but also became the center of the post-Reformation public sphere.Theater of State begins by examining the noise of politics inside Parliament, arguing that the House of Commons increasingly became a place of noisy, hotly contested speech. It then turns to the material conditions of note-taking in Parliament and how and the public became aware of parliamentary debates. The book concludes by examining practices of lobbying, intersections of the public with Parliament within Westminster Palace, and Parliament's expanding print culture. The author argues overall that the Crown dispensed with Parliament because it was too powerful and too popular.

"This study is a very major effort to reassemble the culture of parliamentary politics in a way that is historically and historiographically innovatory and welcome.", "Kyle frames the demotics, theatrics, and staging of parliamentary speech in terms of the history of communication. No account of early modern politics will be complete without reference to the murmuring, hissing, shouting, and silences that this books reveals.", "Kyle concludes that during its eight sessions in 1621-29, Parliament became too powerful and too popular for Charles I. . . . Kyle's somewhat controversial conclusions are thoroughly researched and vigorously argued. Summing Up: Recommended.", "The picture of Parliament that emerges from Kyle's study is one of a robust institution taking on new functions and responsiblities, and despite (or because of) conflict with the Crown, deeply engaged with a public that eagerly followed its affairs.", "Chris Kyle illuminates for us a much broader portrait of parliament, especially by bringing to life the character of the sessions and the nature of the environment in which the houses met."

Chris R. Kyle is Associate Professor of History at Syracuse University. He is the editor ofParliament, Politics and Elections (2001) and The Oxford Works of Francis Bacon, Vol VII: Legal and Political Writings 1613–1626 (forthcoming).