Untimely Deaths in Renaissance Drama: Biography, History, Catastrophe. Andrew Griffin. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2019. x + 198 pp. $45

Detailed and historically accurate, The Atheist's Tragedy's set piece attempts to make sense of this catastrophe by positioning it within the narrative logic of revenge tragedy, with its reliable, satisfying administration of vindictive justice. In its conclusion, Untimely Deaths shifts its focus from dramatic emplotment to biography, considering how Ben Jonson negotiated his mid-career success with his relatively long life. Untimely Deaths makes a major contribution to the field of early modern historiography, demonstrating that not only the history play proper but also the dramatic genres of comedy and tragedy played a central role in early modern historical culture, through plays that recognize, articulate, and seriously intervene in the culture's manifold methodological conflicts.