Overview
Deirdre McFeely presents the first book-length critical study of Dion Boucicault, placing his Irish plays in the context of his overall career. The book undertakes a detailed examination of the reception of the plays in the New York-London-Dublin theatre triangle which Boucicault inhabited. Interpreting theatre history as a sociocultural phenomenon that closely approximates social history, McFeely examines the different social and political worlds in which the plays were produced, demonstrating that the complex politics of reception of the plays cannot be separated from the social and political implications of colonialism at that time. The study argues for a shift in focus from the politics of the plays, and their author, to the politics of the auditorium and the press, or the politics of reception. It is within that complex and shifting field of stage, theatre and public media that Boucicault's performance as playwright, actor and publicist is interpreted.
Full Product Details
Author: Deirdre McFeely (Dr, Trinity College, Dublin)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.30cm
, Height: 1.30cm
, Length: 23.00cm
Weight: 0.350kg
ISBN: 9781107534278
ISBN 10: 1107534275
Pages: 230
Publication Date: 02 July 2015
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
'McFeely is not so scholastically detached as to let us forget that Boucicault's plays are fun and that he was a master of pithy dialogue and comic inventiveness. This is a wonderfully well-researched and discerning book, placing Boucicault as a much more politically motivated playwright than previous critics have ever suggested.' Irish Times 'Thoughtful and insightful ...' The Times Literary Supplement 'McFeely's sparkling collection of research on the political importance of Boucicault's plays is detailed and comprehensive, yet her writing is not burdened with perplexing terminology or arbitrary discourse ... [Her] accurate and acute analysis of primary resources provides sound evidence for her argument, while her familiar style provides an excellent foundation for the nascent theatre researcher delving into the captivating realm of Irish literature and drama.' A. I. Cahill, Studies in Theatre and Performance
Author Information
Deirdre McFeely's work on Boucicault has appeared in publications including Irish Theatre on Tour (edited by Nicholas Grene and Chris Morash) and Irish Theater in America: Essays on Irish Theatrical Diaspora (edited by John Harrington). This is her first book.
