Victorian classical burlesques a critical anthology Laura Monrós-Gaspar.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Monrós Gaspar, Laura, editor.

Series:

Bloomsbury studies in classical reception.

Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

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.

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.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (313 p.)

Place of Publication:

London Bloomsbury Academic 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Victorian classical burlesque was a popular theatrical genre of the mid-19th century. It parodied ancient tragedies 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

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

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

1. Why Classical burlesque?

1.1. Enacting the past and the present

1.2. Texts and Contexts

1.3. Note on the texts and this edition

1.4. List of Representative Nineteenth-Century Classical Burlesques

2. Antigone Travestie, Edward Litt Leman Blanchard (1845)

3. Alcestis; or the Original Strong-Minded Woman, Francis Talfourd (1850)

4. Medea; or the Best of Mothers with a Brute of a Husband, Robert Brough (1856)

5. Electra in a New Electric Light, Francis Talfourd (1859)

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index

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.

ISBN:

9781472537867

1472537866

9781474219242

1474219241

OCLC:

911492483