Deirdre McFeely presents the first book-length critical study of Dion Boucicault, placing his Irish plays in the context of his overall career. The book undertakes a detailed examination of the reception of the plays in the New York-London-Dublin theatre triangle which Boucicault inhabited. Interpreting theatre history as a sociocultural phenomenon that closely approximates social history, McFeely examines the different social and political worlds in which the plays were produced, demonstrating that the complex politics of reception of the plays cannot be separated from the social and political implications of colonialism at that time. The study argues for a shift in focus from the politics of the plays, and their author, to the politics of the auditorium and the press, or the politics of reception. It is within that complex and shifting field of stage, theatre and public media that Boucicault's performance as playwright, actor and publicist is interpreted.
• Provides a detailed examination of the reception of Boucicault's Irish plays in New York, London and Dublin, presenting analysis in light of the plays' social, cultural and political complexity • The only full critical study on the playwright, the book acts as an ideal point of entry for readers new to his works, and will also appeal to experienced scholars in the field due to its new approach and new information • Brings Boucicault into wider debates concerning Irish theatre, including internationalisation and ethnicity
Contents
Introduction; 1. Becoming Boucicault; 2. Nationalism, race and class in The Colleen Bawn; 3. Music, myth and censorship in Arrah-na-Pogue; 4. Alternative readings: The Rapparee and Daddy O'Dowd; 5. The politics of exile: The Shaughraun in New York; 6. 'Audiences are not political assemblies': The Shaughraun in London; 7. Supporting the Land League: The O'Dowd; Conclusion: towards an Irish national drama.
Reviews
'McFeely is not so scholastically detached as to let us forget that Boucicault's plays are fun and that he was a master of pithy dialogue and comic inventiveness. This is a wonderfully well-researched and discerning book, placing Boucicault as a much more politically motivated playwright than previous critics have ever suggested.' Irish Times
'Thoughtful and insightful …' Times Literary Supplement
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