Barbara Fuchs Bücher

The book examines the dynamics of imitation among early modern European powers through literary and historiographical texts from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, focusing on Spain, Italy, England, and the New World. It addresses European depictions of New World subjects and Islam, enriching the understanding of early modern imperialism with insights from the Mediterranean context. Key themes include literary transmission, imperial ideology, colonial identities, and issues of counterfeits and piracy, providing a comprehensive view of cultural exchanges during this period.

Engaging with the picaresque genre, Barbara Fuchs explores how these literary strategies challenge the nature of truth-telling. The book reveals how picaresque texts prompted readers to critically examine the truth claims embedded in the dominant discourses of Imperial Spain, encouraging a deeper understanding of authority and narrative.

Offering a scholarly examination of digital and distanced performance since the global theater shutdown in March 2020, Barbara Fuchs records the changes and provides a framework for understanding theater's transformation. Born of necessity, recent productions have created a new world of practice, utilizing platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and incorporating filters and augmented reality. These innovations have led to urban distanced theater that enlivens streetscapes and building courtyards, largely outside the commercial theater realm. This shift transcends geographic and financial barriers, granting access to new audiences and providing a lifeline to artists. The study explores how virtual theater challenges existing assumptions and definitions, transforming theater-making and viewership. It examines how participatory, site-specific, or devised theater is altered by physical-distancing requirements, how digital productions blur the line between film and theater, and what liveness means during a pandemic. Through seven chapters, the focus is on digital and distanced productions from the Americas, Europe, and Australia, featuring scholarly analysis and interviews. Notable productions include Theater in Quarantine's "closet work" in New York, Forced Entertainment's End Meeting for All, and the work of Madrid-based company Grumelot, among others.