Thomas Holcroft’s Revolutionary Drama: Reception and Afterlives (Transits: Literature, Thought & Culture, 1650-1850)

By: Amy Garnai

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Synopsis: A key figure in British literary circles following the French Revolution, novelist and playwright Thomas Holcroft promoted ideas of reform and equality informed by the philosophy of his close friend William Godwin. Arrested for treason in 1794 and released without trial, Holcroft was notorious in his own time, but today appears mainly as a supporting character in studies of 1790s literary activism. Thomas Holcroft’s Revolutionary Drama authoritatively reintroduces and reestablishes this central figure of the revolutionary decade by examining his life, plays, memoirs, and personal correspondence. In engaging with theatrical censorship, apostacy, and the response of audiences and critics to radical drama, this thoughtful study also demonstrates how theater functions in times of political repression. Despite his struggles, Holcroft also had major successes: this book examines his surprisingly robust afterlife, as his plays, especially The Road to Ruin, were repeatedly revived worldwide in the nineteenth century.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 248 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9781684484454
Related ISBNs:: 9781684484430, 9781684484447
Publisher:: Bucknell University Press
Date of Addition:: 01/13/23
Copyrighted By:: Amy Garnai
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Entertainment, Nonfiction, Art and Architecture, Literature and Fiction, Drama, Plays and Theater, Language Arts, Philosophy, Politics and Government
Grade Levels:: College Freshman
Reading Age:: 18 and up
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.