The Victorian Clown
- Authors:
- Jacky Bratton, Royal Holloway, University of London
- Ann Featherstone, Royal Holloway, University of London
- Date Published: March 2014
- availability: Available
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781107666672
Paperback
Other available formats:
Hardback
Looking for an inspection copy?
This title is not currently available on inspection
-
The Victorian Clown, first published in 2006, is a micro-history of mid-Victorian comedy, spun out of the life and work of two professional clowns. Their previously unpublished manuscripts - James Frowde's account of his young life with the famous Henglers' circus in the 1850s and Thomas Lawrence's 1871 gag book - offer unique, unmediated access to the grass roots of popular entertainment. Through them this book explores the role of the circus clown at the height of equestrian entertainment in Britain, when the comic managed audience attention for the riders and acrobats, parodying their skills in his own tumbling and contortionism, and also offered a running commentary on the times through his own 'wheezes' - stand-up comedy sets. Plays in the ring connect the circus to the stage, and both these men were also comic singers, giving a sharp insight into popular music just as it was being transformed by the new institution of music hall.
Read more- Includes previously unpublished material offering vivid insights into the underworld of entertainment
- Transcripts of actual comic routines placed in historical and cultural context
- Will appeal to scholars of theatre and performance, theatre history and cultural studies
Customer reviews
Not yet reviewed
Be the first to review
Review was not posted due to profanity
×Product details
- Date Published: March 2014
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9781107666672
- length: 288 pages
- dimensions: 229 x 152 x 17 mm
- weight: 0.43kg
- contains: 10 b/w illus.
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
The Victorian Clown:
1. The Victorian travelling shows
2. Circus buildings
3. A micro-history from two manuscripts
The Autobiography of James Frowde, a Victorian Clown:
1. Childhood and youth, 1831–49
2. Running away to join the circus, 1847–9
3. Out into the world to learn his trade, 1849
4. At last a clown with Hengler's, 1850–1
5. A spell with Cooke's Circus, 1851
6. The end of the story, 1851–7
Lawrence's Repertoire: Popular Humour Unmediated
Thomas Lawrence's gagbook: a collection of Victorian wheezes.
Sorry, this resource is locked
Please register or sign in to request access. If you are having problems accessing these resources please email lecturers@cambridge.org
Register Sign in» Proceed
You are now leaving the Cambridge University Press website. Your eBook purchase and download will be completed by our partner www.ebooks.com. Please see the permission section of the www.ebooks.com catalogue page for details of the print & copy limits on our eBooks.
Continue ×Are you sure you want to delete your account?
This cannot be undone.
Thank you for your feedback which will help us improve our service.
If you requested a response, we will make sure to get back to you shortly.
×