Victorian classical burlesques : a critical anthology / Laura Monrós-Gaspar.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Monrós Gaspar, Laura.

Series:

Bloomsbury studies in classical reception

Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception

Classical Studies & Archaeology 2015

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Burlesque (Literature)--History and criticism.

Burlesque (Literature).

English drama (Comedy)--Classical influences.

English drama (Comedy).

English drama (Comedy)--19th century--History and criticism.

Women in literature.

Blanchard, E. L. (Edward L.), 1820-1889. Antigone.

Blanchard, E. L.

Talfourd, Francis, 1828-1862. Alcestis, the original strong-minded woman.

Talfourd, Francis.

Brough, Robert B. (Robert Barnabas), 1828-1860. Medea, or, The best of mothers with a brute of a husband.

Brough, Robert B.

Talfourd, Francis, 1828-1862. Electra in a new light.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.

System Details:

Mode of Access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

The Victorian classical burlesque was a popular theatrical genre of the mid-19th century which parodied ancient myths and legends with music, melodrama, pastiche, merciless satire and gender reversal. Immensely popular in its day, the genre was also intensely metatheatrical and carries significance for reception studies, the role and perception of women in Victorian society and the culture of artistic censorship. This anthology contains the annotated text of four major classical burlesques: Antigone Travestie (1845) by Edward L. Blanchard, Medea; or, the Best of Mothers with a Brute of a Husband (1856) by Robert Brough, Alcestis; the Original Strong-Minded Woman (1850) and Electra in a New Electric Light (1859) by Francis Talfourd. The cultural and textual annotations highlight the changes made to the scripts from the manuscripts sent to the Lord Chamberlain's office and, by explaining the topical allusions and satire, elucidate elements of the burlesques' popular cultural milieu. An in-depth critical introduction discusses the historical contexts of the plays' premieres and unveils the cultural processes behind the reception of the myths and original tragedies. As the burlesques combined spectacular effects with allusions to contemporary affairs, ambivalent and provocative attitudes to women, the plays represent an essential tool for reading the social history of the era. Book jacket.

Contents:

Why classical burlesque?

Enacting the past and the present

The histories of Victorian classical burlesque

Texts and contexts

Note on the texts and this edition

List of representative nineteenth-century classical burlesques

Antigone : travestie / Edward L. Blanchard

Alcestis, the original strong-minded woman / Francis Talfourd

Medea; or, the best of mothers, with a brute of a husband / Robert Brough

Electra in a new electric light / Francis Talfourd.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Electronic reproduction. London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014. Available via World Wide Web. Access limited by licensing agreement. s2014dcunns

Contains:

Blanchard, E. L. (Edward L.), 1820-1889. Antigone. 2015.

Talfourd, Francis, 1828-1862. Alcestis, the original strong-minded woman. 2015.

Brough, Robert B. (Robert Barnabas), 1828-1860. Medea, or, The best of mothers with a brute of a husband. 2015.

Talfourd, Francis, 1828-1862. Electra in a new light. 2015.

Other Format:

Original

ISBN:

9781474219242

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.