The Golden Age Of Pantomime

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The Golden Age of Pantomime

Author : Jeffrey Richards
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 085772472X
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (577 download)

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Book Synopsis The Golden Age of Pantomime by : Jeffrey Richards

Download or read book The Golden Age of Pantomime written by Jeffrey Richards and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-23 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of all the theatrical genres most prized by the Victorians, pantomime is the only one to have survived continuously into the twenty-first century. It remains as true today as it was in the 1830s, that a visit to the pantomime constitutes the first theatrical experience of most children and now, as then, a successful pantomime season is the key to the financial health of most theatres. Everyone went to the pantomime, from Queen Victoria and the royal family to the humblest of her subjects. It appealed equally to West End and East End, to London and the provinces, to both sexes and all ages. Many Victorian luminaries were devotees of the pantomime, notably among them John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and W.E. Gladstone. In this vivid and evocative account of the Victorian pantomime, Jeffrey Richards examines the potent combination of slapstick, spectacle and subversion that ensured the enduring popularity of the form. The secret of its success, he argues, was its continual evolution. It acted as an accurate cultural barometer of its times, directly reflecting current attitudes, beliefs and preoccupations, and it kept up a flow of instantly recognisable topical allusions to political rows, fashion fads, technological triumphs, wars and revolutions, and society scandals. Richards assesses throughout the contribution of writers, producers, designers and stars to the success of the pantomime in its golden age. This book is a treat as rich and appetizing as turkey, mince pies and plum pudding.

The Golden Age of Pantomime

Author : Jeffrey Richards
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 085773587X
Total Pages : 682 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (577 download)

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Book Synopsis The Golden Age of Pantomime by : Jeffrey Richards

Download or read book The Golden Age of Pantomime written by Jeffrey Richards and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-10-23 with total page 682 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of all the theatrical genres most prized by the Victorians, pantomime is the only one to have survived continuously into the twenty-first century. It remains as true today as it was in the 1830s, that a visit to the pantomime constitutes the first theatrical experience of most children and now, as then, a successful pantomime season is the key to the financial health of most theatres. Everyone went to the pantomime, from Queen Victoria and the royal family to the humblest of her subjects. It appealed equally to West End and East End, to London and the provinces, to both sexes and all ages. Many Victorian luminaries were devotees of the pantomime, notably among them John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and W.E. Gladstone. In this vivid and evocative account of the Victorian pantomime, Jeffrey Richards examines the potent combination of slapstick, spectacle and subversion that ensured the enduring popularity of the form. The secret of its success, he argues, was its continual evolution. It acted as an accurate cultural barometer of its times, directly reflecting current attitudes, beliefs and preoccupations, and it kept up a flow of instantly recognisable topical allusions to political rows, fashion fads, technological triumphs, wars and revolutions, and society scandals. Richards assesses throughout the contribution of writers, producers, designers and stars to the success of the pantomime in its golden age. This book is a treat as rich and appetizing as turkey, mince pies and plum pudding.

Sea Currents in Nineteenth-Century Art, Science and Culture

Author : Kathleen Davidson
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 1501352792
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Sea Currents in Nineteenth-Century Art, Science and Culture by : Kathleen Davidson

Download or read book Sea Currents in Nineteenth-Century Art, Science and Culture written by Kathleen Davidson and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2023-03-09 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did scientists, artists, designers, manufacturers and amateur enthusiasts experience and value the sea and its products? Examining the commoditization of the ocean world during the nineteenth century, this book demonstrates how the transaction of oceanic objects inspired a multifaceted material discourse stemming from scientific exploration, colonial expansion, industrialization, and the rise of middle-class leisure. From the seashore to the seabed, marine organisms and environments, made tangible through processing and representational technologies, captivated practitioners and audiences. Combining essays and case studies by scholars, curators, and scientists, Sea Currents investigates the collecting and display, illustration and ornamentation, and trade and consumption of marine flora and fauna, analysing their material, aesthetic and commercial dimensions. Traversing global art history, the history of science, empire studies, anthropology, ecocriticism and material culture, this book surveys the currency of marine matter embedded in the economies and ecologies of a modernizing ocean world.

Victorian Pantomime

Author : J. Davis
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 0230291783
Total Pages : 239 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (32 download)

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Book Synopsis Victorian Pantomime by : J. Davis

Download or read book Victorian Pantomime written by J. Davis and published by Springer. This book was released on 2010-08-11 with total page 239 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Featuring contributions by new and established nineteenth-century theatre scholars, this collection of critical essays is the first of its kind devoted solely to Victorian pantomime. It takes us through the various manifestations of British pantomime in the Victorian period and its ambivalent relationship with Victorian values.

The Routledge Pantomime Reader

Author : Jennifer Schacker
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000401227
Total Pages : 516 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis The Routledge Pantomime Reader by : Jennifer Schacker

Download or read book The Routledge Pantomime Reader written by Jennifer Schacker and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-08-30 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Routledge Pantomime Reader is the first anthology to document this entertainment genre—one of the most distinctive and ubiquitous in nineteenth-century Britain. Across ten different shows, readers witness pantomime’s development from a highly improvisational venue for clowning, dance, and musical parody to a complex amalgamation of physical and topical comedy, stage wizardry, scenic spectacle, satire, and magical mayhem. Combining well-known tales such as "Cinderella", "Aladdin", and "Jack and the Beanstalk" with the lesser-known plotlines of "Peter Wilkins" and "The Prince of Happy Land", the book demonstrates not only how popular narratives were adapted to the current moment, but also how this blend of high and low entertainment addressed a whole range of social and cultural anxieties. Along with carefully annotated scripts, readers will find detailed introductions to all of the collected pantomimes and supplementary materials such as reviews, reminiscences, and a host of visual materials that bring these neglected entertainments to life. The plays collected here provide a remarkable perspective on the history of sexuality, class, and race during a period of vast imperial expansion and important social upheaval in Britain itself—essential reading for students and scholars of theatre history and popular performance.

Staging Fairyland

Author : Jennifer Schacker
Publisher : Wayne State University Press
ISBN 13 : 0814345921
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (143 download)

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Book Synopsis Staging Fairyland by : Jennifer Schacker

Download or read book Staging Fairyland written by Jennifer Schacker and published by Wayne State University Press. This book was released on 2018-12-17 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines pantomime and theatricality in nineteenth-century histories of folklore and the fairy tale. In nineteenth-century Britain, the spectacular and highly profitable theatrical form known as "pantomime" was part of a shared cultural repertoire and a significant medium for the transmission of stories. Rowdy, comedic, and slightly risqué, pantomime productions were situated in dynamic relationship with various forms of print and material culture. Popular fairy-tale theater also informed the production and reception of folklore research in ways that are often overlooked. In Staging Fairyland: Folklore, Children's Entertainment, and Nineteenth-Century Pantomime, Jennifer Schacker reclaims the place of theatrical performance in this history, developing a model for the intermedial and cross-disciplinary study of narrative cultures. The case studies that punctuate each chapter move between the realms of print and performance, scholarship and popular culture. Schacker examines pantomime productions of such well-known tales as "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Jack and the Beanstalk," as well as others whose popularity has waned—such as, "Daniel O'Rourke" and "The Yellow Dwarf." These productions resonate with traditions of impersonation, cross-dressing, literary imposture, masquerade, and the social practice of "fancy dress." Schacker also traces the complex histories of Mother Goose and Mother Bunch, who were often cast as the embodiments of both tale-telling and stage magic and who move through various genres of narrative and forms of print culture. These examinations push at the limits of prevailing approaches to the fairy tale across media. They also demonstrate the degree to which perspectives on the fairy tale as children's entertainment often obscure the complex histories and ideological underpinnings of specific tales. Mapping the histories of tales requires a fundamental reconfiguration of our thinking about early folklore study and about "fairy tales": their bearing on questions of genre and ideology but also their signifying possibilities—past, present, and future. Readers interested in folklore, fairy-tale studies, children's literature, and performance studies will embrace this informative monograph.

One Hot Summer

Author : Rosemary Ashton
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300231199
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis One Hot Summer by : Rosemary Ashton

Download or read book One Hot Summer written by Rosemary Ashton and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-07-18 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique, in-depth view of Victorian London during the record-breaking summer of 1858, when residents both famous and now-forgotten endured “The Great Stink” together While 1858 in London may have been noteworthy for its broiling summer months and the related stench of the sewage-filled Thames River, the year is otherwise little remembered. And yet, historian Rosemary Ashton reveals in this compelling microhistory, 1858 was marked by significant, if unrecognized, turning points. For ordinary people, and also for the rich, famous, and powerful, the months from May to August turned out to be a summer of consequence. Ashton mines Victorian letters and gossip, diaries, court records, newspapers, and other contemporary sources to uncover historically crucial moments in the lives of three protagonists—Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Disraeli. She also introduces others who gained renown in the headlines of the day, among them George Eliot, Karl Marx, William Thackeray, and Edward Bulwer Lytton. Ashton reveals invisible threads of connection among Londoners at every social level in 1858, bringing the celebrated city and its citizens vibrantly to life.

Theatre Symposium, Vol. 31

Author : Chase Bringardner
Publisher : University of Alabama Press
ISBN 13 : 0817370188
Total Pages : 155 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (173 download)

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Book Synopsis Theatre Symposium, Vol. 31 by : Chase Bringardner

Download or read book Theatre Symposium, Vol. 31 written by Chase Bringardner and published by University of Alabama Press. This book was released on 2024-06-21 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new issue of the longstanding theatre journal, documenting conversations that traverse disciplinary boundaries The essays in the thirty-first volume of Theatre Symposium traverse disciplinary boundaries to explore what constitutes the "popular" in theater and performance in an increasingly frenetic and mediated landscape. Amid the current resurgence of populist discourse and the enduring impact of popular culture, this volume explores what is considered popular, how that determination gets made, and who makes it. The answers to these questions shape the structures and systems of performance in an interaction that is reciprocal, intricate, and multifaceted. Productions often succeed or fail based on their ability to align with what is popular--sometimes productively, sometimes clumsily, sometimes brazenly, and sometimes tragically. In our current moment, what constitutes the popular profoundly affects the real world politically, economically, and socially. Controversies about the electoral college system hinge on the primacy of the "popular" vote. Streaming services daily update lists of their most popular content and base future decisions on opaque measures of popularity. Social media platforms broadcast popular content across the globe, triggering new products, social activism, and political revolutions. The contributors to this volume engage with a range of contemporary and historical examples and argue with clarity and acuity the interplay of performance and the popular. Theatre and performance deeply engage with the popular at every level--from audience response to box office revenue. The variety of methodologies and sites of inquiry showcased in this volume demonstrates the breadth and depth of the popular and the importance of such work to understanding our present moment onstage and off. CONTRIBUTORS Mysia Anderson / Chase Bringardner / Elizabeth M. Cizmar / Chelsea Curto / Janet M. Davis / Tom Fish / Kyla Kazuschyk / Sarah McCarroll / Eleanor Owicki / Sunny Stalter-Pace / Chelsea Taylor / Chris Woodworth

Picture World

Author : Rachel Teukolsky
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192603566
Total Pages : 481 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (926 download)

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Book Synopsis Picture World by : Rachel Teukolsky

Download or read book Picture World written by Rachel Teukolsky and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-08-16 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The modern media world came into being in the nineteenth century, when machines were harnessed to produce texts and images in unprecedented numbers. In the visual realm, new industrial techniques generated a deluge of affordable pictorial items, mass-printed photographs, posters, cartoons, and illustrations. These alluring objects of the Victorian parlor were miniaturized spectacles that served as portals onto phantasmagoric versions of 'the world.' Although new kinds of pictures transformed everyday life, these ephemeral items have received remarkably little scholarly attention. Picture World shines a welcome new light onto these critically neglected yet fascinating visual objects. They serve as entryways into the nineteenth century's key aesthetic concepts. Each chapter pairs a new type of picture with a foundational keyword in Victorian aesthetics, a familiar term reconceived through the lens of new media. 'Character' appears differently when considered with caricature, in the new comics and cartoons appearing in the mass press in the 1830s; likewise, the book approaches 'realism' through pictorial journalism; 'illustration' via illustrated Bibles; 'sensation' through carte-de-visite portrait photographs; 'the picturesque' by way of stereoscopic views; and 'decadence' through advertising posters. Picture World studies the aesthetic effects of the nineteenth century's media revolution: it uses the relics of a previous era's cultural life to interrogate the Victorian world's most deeply-held values, arriving at insights still relevant in our own media age.

The Routledge Companion to Commedia dell'Arte

Author : Judith Chaffee
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317613376
Total Pages : 540 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (176 download)

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Book Synopsis The Routledge Companion to Commedia dell'Arte by : Judith Chaffee

Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Commedia dell'Arte written by Judith Chaffee and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-11-20 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Commedia dell’Arte came archetypal characters that are still with us today, such as Harlequin and Pantalone, and the rediscovered craft of writing comic dramas and masked theatre. From it came the forces that helped create and influence Opera, Ballet, Pantomime, Shakespeare, Moliere, Lopes de Vega, Goldoni, Meyerhold, and even the glove puppet, Mr Punch. The Routledge Companion to Commedia dell’Arte is a wide-ranging volume written by over 50 experts, that traces the history, characteristics, and development of this fascinating yet elusive theatre form. In synthesizing the elements of Commedia, this book introduces the history of the Sartori mask studio; presents a comparison between Gozzi and Goldoni’s complicated and adversarial approaches to theatre; invites discussions on Commedia’s relevance to Shakespeare, and illuminates re-interpretations of Commedia in modern times. The authors are drawn from actors, mask-makers, pedagogues, directors, trainers and academics, all of whom add unique insights into this most delightful of theatre styles. Notable contributions include: • Donato Sartori on the 20th century Sartori mask • Rob Henke on form and freedom • Anna Cottis on Carlo Boso • Didi Hopkins on One Man, Two Guv’nors • Kenneth Richards on acting companies • Antonio Fava on Pulcinella • Joan Schirle on Carlo Mazzone-Clementi and women in Commedia • and M.A. Katritzky on images Olly Crick is a performer, trainer and director, having trained in Commedia under Barry Grantham and Carlo Boso. He is founder of The Fabulous Old Spot Theatre Company. Judith Chaffee is Associate Professor of Theatre at Boston University, and Head of Movement Training for Actors. She trained in Commedia with Antonio Fava, Julie Goell, Stanley Allen Sherman, and Carlos Garcia Estevez.

The Boy-Man, Masculinity and Immaturity in the Long Nineteenth Century

Author : Pete Newbon
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137408146
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (374 download)

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Book Synopsis The Boy-Man, Masculinity and Immaturity in the Long Nineteenth Century by : Pete Newbon

Download or read book The Boy-Man, Masculinity and Immaturity in the Long Nineteenth Century written by Pete Newbon and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-09-04 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the evolution of male writers marked by peculiar traits of childlike immaturity. The ‘Boy-Man’ emerged from the nexus of Rousseau’s counter-Enlightenment cultural primitivism, Sensibility’s ‘Man of Feeling’, the Chattertonian poet maudit, and the Romantic idealisation of childhood. The Romantic era saw the proliferation of boy-men, who congregated around such metropolitan institutions as The London Magazine. These included John Keats, Leigh Hunt, Charles Lamb, Hartley Coleridge, Thomas De Quincey and Thomas Hood. In the period of the French Revolution, terms of childishness were used against such writers as Wordsworth, Keats, Hunt and Lamb as a tool of political satire. Yet boy-men writers conversely used their amphibian child-adult literary personae to critique the masculinist ideologies of their era. However, the growing cultural and political conservatism of the nineteenth century, and the emergence of a canon of serious literature, inculcated the relegation of the boy-men from the republic of letters.

Poppy

Author : Jeno Bernath
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1135298289
Total Pages : 516 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (352 download)

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Book Synopsis Poppy by : Jeno Bernath

Download or read book Poppy written by Jeno Bernath and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 1999-01-26 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Poppy, the third volume in the series Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles presents up-to-date information on Poppy and related species. The introduction emphasizes the importance of Poppy, giving a historical evaluation. in the chapters describing the botany and taxonomy of the genus some novel aspects are discussed, e.g., special m

Drag

Author : Jacob Bloomfield
Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520409655
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (24 download)

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Book Synopsis Drag by : Jacob Bloomfield

Download or read book Drag written by Jacob Bloomfield and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2024-10-08 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A must-read for anyone interested in the history of drag performance."--Publishers Weekly A rich and provocative history of drag's importance in modern British culture. Drag: A British History is a groundbreaking study of the sustained popularity and changing forms of male drag performance in modern Britain. With this book, Jacob Bloomfield provides fresh perspectives on drag and recovers previously neglected episodes in the history of the art form. Despite its transgressive associations, drag has persisted as an intrinsic, and common, part of British popular culture--drag artists have consistently asserted themselves as some of the most renowned and significant entertainers of their day. As Bloomfield demonstrates, drag was also at the center of public discussions around gender and sexuality in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from Victorian sex scandals to the "permissive society" of the 1960s. This compelling new history demythologizes drag, stressing its ordinariness while affirming its important place in British cultural heritage.

The Story of Victorian Film

Author : Bryony Dixon
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1911239643
Total Pages : 194 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (112 download)

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Book Synopsis The Story of Victorian Film by : Bryony Dixon

Download or read book The Story of Victorian Film written by Bryony Dixon and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2023-08-10 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this vivid and accessible new account of the dawn of film in Britain, internationally respected film historian and curator Bryony Dixon introduces us to Britain's first cinematic pioneers an eclectic mix of chemists, engineers, photography enthusiasts, fairground showmen and magicians who in a few short years built a vibrant new industry. As she chronicles the emergence of the first embryonic film forms and genres, she reveals often surprising innovations, from cutting-edge science to ingeniously witty tricks and comedies, with filmmakers reflecting existing entertainment forms as well as advancing editing and cinematography in ways that shaped the art of film for many decades after. Dixon offers fresh insights by focusing on the films themselves many of them only recently available to view while building on the work of generations of scholars. In the process, Dixon makes a compelling case for the British filmmakers of the era as inventive and creative figures, every bit as influential as their more celebrated contemporaries in France and the US.

Advent Journeys: Celebrating Hope and Light Across Cultures

Author : Jenny Fuller
Publisher : tredition
ISBN 13 : 3384420195
Total Pages : 263 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (844 download)

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Book Synopsis Advent Journeys: Celebrating Hope and Light Across Cultures by : Jenny Fuller

Download or read book Advent Journeys: Celebrating Hope and Light Across Cultures written by Jenny Fuller and published by tredition. This book was released on 2024-11-13 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From ancient traditions to modern festivities, the season of Advent has long been a time of anticipation, reflection, and joy. In Advent Journeys, Jenny Fuller takes readers on a captivating exploration of how cultures around the world celebrate this meaningful season. Travel from the snowy Christmas markets of Germany to the vibrant Posadas of Latin America, and from the light-filled Lucia Day processions in Sweden to the lively Krampus runs of the Alps. Each chapter reveals the unique customs, foods, and symbols that bring communities together, transforming the waiting days before Christmas into a powerful celebration of hope and light. Through Fuller's engaging storytelling and rich cultural insights, Advent Journeys invites readers to discover how these global traditions connect us all, honoring both the shared spirit and diversity of this beloved season. Whether you're looking to deepen your holiday experience or explore Advent in a new way, this book offers an inspiring journey through the heartwarming and often surprising ways we celebrate Advent across the globe.

Blockbusters of Victorian Theater, 1850-1910

Author : Paul Fryer
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 147668166X
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (766 download)

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Book Synopsis Blockbusters of Victorian Theater, 1850-1910 by : Paul Fryer

Download or read book Blockbusters of Victorian Theater, 1850-1910 written by Paul Fryer and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2023-11-23 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited collection of essays details a wide-ranging selection of some of the most sensationally successful theatre productions of the long Victorian era, the real "blockbusters" of the age. Ranging from the world of operetta and music hall to spectacular drama and sensational melodrama, the productions included provide the reader with definitive proof that the phenomenon of the "smash hit" show is not restricted to modern Broadway. This is a world that encompassed the ground-breaking stage technology of Ben Hur, the wide political impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin and the sheer creative originality of L'Enfant Prodigue. Supporting the "star" system, productions featured some of the greatest names of the period - Sir Henry Irving, Sir Johnston Forbes Robertson, James O'Neill and Dion Boucicault. This was the very dawning of a new media age, which saw many of the productions transfer to the new world of silent cinema for the very first time

Science in Wonderland

Author : Melanie Keene
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191639648
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (916 download)

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Book Synopsis Science in Wonderland by : Melanie Keene

Download or read book Science in Wonderland written by Melanie Keene and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Victorian Britain an array of writers captured the excitement of new scientific discoveries, and enticed young readers and listeners into learning their secrets, by converting introductory explanations into quirky, charming, and imaginative fairy-tales; forces could be fairies, dinosaurs could be dragons, and looking closely at a drop of water revealed a soup of monsters. Science in Wonderland explores how these stories were presented and read. Melanie Keene introduces and analyses a range of Victorian scientific fairy-tales, from nursery classics such as The Water-Babies to the little-known Wonderland of Evolution, or the story of insect lecturer Fairy Know-a-Bit. In exploring the ways in which authors and translators - from Hans Christian Andersen and Edith Nesbit to the pseudonymous 'A.L.O.E.' and 'Acheta Domestica' - reconciled the differing demands of factual accuracy and fantastical narratives, Keene asks why the fairies and their tales were chosen as an appropriate new form for capturing and presenting scientific and technological knowledge to young audiences. Such stories, she argues, were an important way in which authors and audiences criticised, communicated, and celebrated contemporary scientific ideas, practices, and objects.