THOMAS DURFEY AND RESTORATION DRAMA by John McVeagh, Mr. Richard Bradford, Dr. Netta Murray Goldsmith ( 9780754602538 )

Item Details

Title:

THOMAS DURFEY AND RESTORATION DRAMA
THE WORK OF A FORGOTTEN WRITER

By:

John McVeagh, Mr. Richard Bradford, Dr. Netta Murray Goldsmith

Format:

Hardback

List price:

£89.99

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£80.99

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10% off

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£9.00

ISBN 10:

0754602532

ISBN 13:

9780754602538

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Publisher:

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Pub. date:

17 November, 2000

Series:

Studies in Early Modern English Literature

Pages:

228

Description:

An examination of the work of Restoration playwright Thomas Durfey. John McVeagh studies his continuing ability to adapt to shifts in taste, fashion and personnel in the world of theatre. Among the topics covered is Durfey's attempt to feminize Restoration comedy.

Synopsis:

Though once a favourite of no fewer than four English monarchs, Restoration playwright Thomas Durfey has long been neglected by scholars. In his own day he had a lowly reputation in the world of polite letters - before his death his plays had more or less ceased to be produced; his 'serious' poems had died long before that, and even his songs were soon thought of as common property or 'folk' songs. In this new study, author John McVeagh re-examines Durfey's literary output, finding merit and interest where it has long been presumed that none existed, and restoring Durfey to his proper place in late 17th- and early 18th-century literature. Durfey's creative lifetime spanned the entire Restoration period and continued into and beyond the reign of Queen Anne. McVeagh's book studies his continuing ability to adapt to shifts in taste, fashion and personnel in the world of the theatre. It examines in detail his numerous experiments in new kinds of dramatic writing, both responding to and influencing the conditions of theatrical and artistic production.Among the topics covered are Durfey's attempts to feminize Restoration comedy, his political satires in drama in the late Stuart years, his anticipations of sentimental comedy, his search for a new language for lower class tragedy, and his musical-dramatic experimentations in the 1680s and 1690s, focusing particularly on his collaborative work with Matthew Locke, Samuel Ackroyde, John Eccles, Daniel and Henry Purcell and other composers. In addition, the author discusses Durfey's numerous satiric, narrative and other poems, and relates his writings to their social, political and cultural contexts. The book includes a performance record, listing the plays by performance date. The record includes such information, if known, as: where it was performed; by what company; cast list; to whom it was dedicated; a brief description of the prologue and epilogue; when it was published; what music it contained; and details of any revivals.

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bibliography

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Imprint:

Ashgate Publishing Limited

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Some other items by this author:

A LINGUISTIC HISTORY OF ENGLISH POETRY