A nation’s drama

Although it was pleasing to see such a senior academic as Helen Fulton read Alan M. Kent’s visionary opus The Theatre of Cornwall: Space, Place, Performance, it was somewhat disappointing for Fulton to regard Cornwall as a “region that thinks it is a nation”. She perhaps ought to be reminded that Cornwall was established as a nation of Europe long before England, and that although it is labelled mistakenly by some as a county, its status has always been one of nationhood.

As a point of correction to Fulton, she also dismisses the legacy of theatre in Cornwall as folk drama. As a medievalist, she should know better. Cornwall has produced a theatrical legacy of tremendous importance. Fulton neglects to mention the importance of works such as Ordinalia, Bewnans Ke, Beunans Meriasek and Gwryans an Bys. These are hardly folk dramas but major contributions to European medieval literature.

Kristy Rowe
St Austell, Cornwall