Jane Austen and the Theatre
Jane Austen and the Theatre
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Jane Austen was fascinated by theater from her childhood, but the myth remains that she was anti-theatrical. Contemporary film and television have shown how naturally dramatic her stories are. Penny Gay's book describes for the first time the rich theatrical context of Austen's writing, and the intersections between her novels and contemporary drama. Gay relates Austen's mature novels to the various genres of eighteenth-century drama--laughing comedy, sentimental comedy and tragedy, Gothic theatre, early melodrama. She demonstrates the complexity of Austen's analysis of the pervasive theatricality of her society.
- The first book devoted to the theatricality of Jane Austen's novels
- As theatre history, the book brings to attention a number of once-popular eighteenth-century dramas
- Radically revises the commonly held opinion that Austen was anti-theatrical
Reviews & endorsements
"Gay makes a compelling argument that Austen was consistent in finding theater 'a curiously fascinating and thought-provoking experience.' The study is careful, well-documented, articulate, knowledgeable, deftly written and good-humored--and will surely be a delight to both confirmed Janites and serious scholars.... Highly recommended for academic libraries at all levels and for public libraries wishing to strengthen Austen-oriented holdings." Choice
"One of the most notable insights of this elegant book is Gay's revelation that it is dramatic technique, with its emphasis of embodiment, that enables Austen to explore some of the most powerfully affective concerns she holds dear..." The Wordsworth Circle
"...Jane Austen and the Theatre promises to be of significant value both to theater historians and Janeites alike." Comparative Drama
"...long overdue.... the scope of Gay's knowledge and the specificity of her examples effectively counter assertions that Austen disapproved of the theatre." JASNA News
"Penny Gay has written a delightful and informative book, and ne that will be a welcome addition to the library of Jane Austen fans as well as anyone interested in the English theatre during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries." Canadian Woman Studies
Product details
- Published: July 2002
- Format: Hardback
- ISBN: 9780521652131
- Length: 214 pages
- Dimensions: 236 × 160 × 21 mm
- Weight: 0.47kg
- Contains: 7 b/w illus.
- Availability: Available
Table of Contents
- 1. Jane Austen and the theatre
- 2. Sense and Sensibility: comic and tragic drama
- 3. Northanger Abbey: Catherine's adventures in the Gothic theatre
- 4. Pride and Prejudice: the comedienne and heroine
- 5: Mansfield Park: Fanny's education in the theatre
- 6. Emma: private theatricals in Highbury
- 7. Persuasion and melodrama
- Epilogue
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index.
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