Bloomsbury Victorian Classical Burlesques: A Critical Anthology (Bloomsbury Studies in Classical Reception)

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 Chamberlains 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. Review This is a rich treasure trove for anyone interested in Classical Reception and in theatre history. Four nineteenth-century Greek tragic burlesques have been brought together for the first time in this volume, along with a wealth of contextual evidence and scrupulous editorial standards. --Fiona Macintosh, Professor of Classical Reception and Director of The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), St Hildas College, University of Oxford, UK,We take for granted that the classical world was a familiar one for many Victorian artists, writers, spectators, and readers. This collection shows us just how classical literature, art and language saturated Victorian popular culture, and was the domain of the comic, the burlesque and the low as well as the high art of the nineteenth century. Laura Monrós-Gaspars anthology offers us the evidence of four funny, convoluted, frivolous burlesques of classical myths, to show us another side of the Victorians -- unbuttoned, at play. The plays are impeccably edited, so that readers without the classical education of the Victorian gentleman can follow the playful satire of serious learning. Monrós-Gaspars Introduction places these plays thoroughly in their context of Victorian London, yet reminds us of the modernity and energy of the Victorians. These are plays which, as Monrós-Gaspar argues, helped to shape Londons West End, and may still raise a sardonic smile 150 years later. --Katherine Newey, Professor of Theatre History, University of Exeter, UK,These four surprisingly entertaining plays are introduced and annotated with a fine scholarship so light of touch that to read it is a pleasure in itself. Oliver Taplin, Emeritus Professor of Classics, University of Oxford, UK, An indispensable work of scholarship for those working in Victorian Studies, classical reception, gender studies and performance history. The authors Introduction to the selected texts adroitly maps the place of burlesque in the interaction between the classicising modes in Victorian culture and the commodities of everyday life. The commentary and notes on the texts illuminate the changes made in the burlesques from the first versions sent to the Lord Chamberlains Office to the staged and published versions, bringing together textual and performance histories. Lorna Hardwick, Professor Emerita of Classical Studies, The Open University, UK, Laura Monrós-Gapars edition of four classical burlesques from the Victorian period makes available four texts from the 1840s and 1850s which will enhance our understanding no