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The Theatre of Shelley

  • Jacqueline Mulhallen (author)
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TitleThe Theatre of Shelley
ContributorJacqueline Mulhallen (author)
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0011
Landing pagehttps://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0011
Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
CopyrightJacqueline Mulhallen
PublisherOpen Book Publishers
Publication placeCambridge, UK
Published on2010-12-01
ISBN978-1-906924-30-0 (Paperback)
978-1-906924-31-7 (Hardback)
978-1-906924-32-4 (PDF)
978-1-80064-438-0 (HTML)
Short abstractIn the first full-length study of Shelley’s plays in performance, Mulhallen provides a meticulously researched history of Shelley’s role as a playwright and dramatist and a reassessment of his ‘closet dramas’ as performable pieces of theatre. As well as discussing Shelley’s stagecraft and analysing performances of his plays from the 1800s to today, the book also offers a detailed account of the theatrical scene of Shelley’s time, including details of the productions Shelley himself saw. Mulhallen reveals Shelley as an extraordinarily talented playwright, whose fascination with contemporary theatrical theory and practice challenges the notion that he was a reluctant dramatist.
Long abstractThis is the first full-length study of Shelley’s plays in performance. It offers a rich, meticulously researched history of Shelley’s role as a playwright and dramatist and a reassessment of his "closet dramas" as performable pieces of theatre. With chapters on each of Shelley’s dramatic works, the book provides a thorough discussion of the poet’s stagecraft, and analyses performances of his plays from the Georgian period to today. In addition, Mulhallen offers details of the productions Shelley saw in England and Italy, many not identified before, as well as a vivid account of the actors and personalities that constituted the theatrical scene of his time. Her research reveals Shelley as an extraordinarily talented playwright, whose fascination with contemporary theatrical theory and practice seriously challenges the notion that he was a reluctant dramatist. Prof. Stephen Behrendt (Nebraska) has described the book as "wonderfully convincing" and "something wholly new in Shelley studies", while Prof. Tim Webb (Bristol) describes Mulhallen as having a "more precisely developed sense of the theatrical possibilities of Shelley's work than almost anybody who has written about Shelley". The Theatre of Shelley is essential reading for anyone interested in Romanticism, nineteenth-century culture and the history of theatre.
Print length310 pages (xvii + 292)
LanguageEnglish (Original)
Dimensions156 x 16 x 234 mm | 6.14" x 0.65" x 9.21" (Paperback)
156 x 19 x 234 mm | 6.14" x 0.75" x 9.21" (Hardback)
Weight960g | 33.86oz (Paperback)
1344g | 47.41oz (Hardback)
Media21 illustrations
2 tables
OCLC Number847609650
LCCN2019452799
BIC
  • DSG
  • DSBF
BISAC
  • LIT004120
  • LIT004180
  • LIT013000
LCC
  • PR5438
Keywords
  • Theatre
  • Romanticism
  • literature
  • Romantic poetry
  • drama
  • theatre history
  • Romantic culture
  • nineteenth century
  • Mary Shelley
  • Percy Bysshe Shelley
  • Lord Byron
  • Cenci
  • Prometheus Unbound
  • Georgian theatre
  • acting
  • actors
  • Shelley's plays
Funding
  • The Jessica E. Smith and Kevin R. Brine Charitable Trust
Contents
  • Jacqueline Mulhallen
  • Jacqueline Mulhallen
  • Jacqueline Mulhallen
  • Jacqueline Mulhallen

Conclusions

(pp. 235–242)
  • Jacqueline Mulhallen

Introduction

(pp. 1–19)
  • Jacqueline Mulhallen