Fangs of malice : hypocrisy, sincerity, & acting / Matthew H. Wikander.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wikander, Matthew H.

Series:

Studies in theatre history and culture.

Studies in theatre history & culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Acting--Psychological aspects.

Acting.

Actors--Social life and customs.

Actors.

Theater and society.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (265 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The idea that actors are hypocrites and fakes and therefore dangerous to society was widespread in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Fangs of Malice examines the equation between the vice of hypocrisy and the craft of acting as it appears in antitheatrical tracts, in popular and high culture, and especially in plays of the period. Rousseau and others argue that actors, expert at seeming other than they are, pose a threat to society; yet dissembling seems also to be an inevitable consequence of human social intercourse. The ""antitheatrical prejudiceo offers a unique perspective on the

Contents:

Acknowledgments; Prologue. The Actor as Hypocrite; Act One. They dress up; Scene One. As Secret as Maidenhead; Scene Two. Putting on the Cloth; Scene Three. Humanizing the Fop; Act Two. They lie; Scene One. Rousseau and the Cult of Sincerity; Scene Two. Playing Joseph Surface; Scene Three. Ibsen's Small Stage of Fools; Scene Four. Princely Hypocrite; Act Three. They drink; Scene One. The Tavern; Scene Two. Liberty Hall; Scene Three. Harry Hope's Saloon; Scene Four. Contested Sites; Epilogue; Notes; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781587294174

1587294176

OCLC:

56109568