Overview
Between 1770 and 1800, transformations in the relationship between metropolitan British society and its colonial holdings, and in the concept of the nation itself, left Britons with a new sense of themselves. Over the same period, the consolidation of the middle classes was accompanied by growing social constraints on sexuality and family life. Staging Governance locates the intersection of these two trends in the representation of British India on the London stage. Theatrical productions, especially those representing colonial life, pushed the limits of public discourse on sexuality and colonialism even as the government made efforts to shape and narrow them. At the same time, official discourse on colonial practices, such as the public trials of Clive and Hastings, became theatrical events themselves. Exploring this rapidly shifting world through a series of original readings of dramatic texts and important moments of oratory, Staging Governance demonstrates how the perceived crises of imperial and domestic Britain joined these spheres in the popular imagination. The economics of political and sexual exchange not only became entwined but functioned as mutual supports during a period of social, cultural, and political readjustment.
Full Product Details
Author: Daniel O'Quinn (Associate Professor, University of Guelph)
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Imprint: Johns Hopkins University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 15.20cm
, Height: 2.90cm
, Length: 22.90cm
Weight: 0.703kg
ISBN: 9780801879616
ISBN 10: 0801879612
Pages: 440
Publication Date: 25 January 2006
Recommended Age: From 17
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Out of stock
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.
Reviews
A valuable piece of scholarship. It makes significant contributions to several fields simultaneously: British Romanticism, colonial discourse analysis, and Drama Studies. - Kalpana Seshadri-Crooks, Boston College
An ambitious and compelling book, notable for its command of divergent fields and discourses, its careful readings, and its theoretical reach. -- Betsy Bolton * Comparative Drama * O'Quinn's focus... is refreshing. -- Diedre Lynch * Studies in English Literature * A sophisticated exposition... useful and stimulating. -- Cheryl Wanko * 1650-1850: Ideas, Esthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era * An ambitious and important book. -- Michael Garner * Studies in Romanticism * The book as a whole is an impressive scholarly achievement and a major contribution to the fields of romantic theatre and imperial studies. * Theatre Research International * Groundbreaking, informative, and penetrating, and it [Staging Governance: Theatrical Imperialism in London, 1770-1800] offers significant new information about the role of the theater in late eighteenth-century debates about the Asian colonies and English government. -- Jeremy W. Webster * Eighteenth-Century Life * O'Quinn's book is one of great importance and significant innovation. His understanding of the situated nature and ideological function of performance is excellent. -- David Francis Taylor * Huntington Library Quarterly *
Author Information
Daniel O'Quinn is an associate professor in the School of Literatures and Performance Studies in English at the University of Guelph, Ontario.
