Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-214) and index.
Contents:
Introduction -- 1. Becoming Boucicault; --2. Nationalism, race and class in The Colleen Bawn -- 3. Music, myth and censorship in Arrah-na-Pogue -- 4. Alternative readings: The Rapparee and Daddy O'Dowd -- 5. The politics of exile: The Shaughraun in New York -- 6. 'Audiences are not political assemblies': The Shaughraun in London -- 7. Supporting the Land League: The O'Dowd -- Conclusion: towards an Irish national drama.
Summary:
"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"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.