Literary and Cultural Criticism from the Nineteenth Century

<p>This collection of primary sources examines literary and cultural criticism over the long nineteenth century. Volume 2 of 4 explores the subject of drama criticism. This volume will be of great interest to students of literary history.</p> <p>Volume II: Theatre and Drama Criticism</p><p>Table of Contents.</p><p>Part 1: Theatrical Debates</p><p>Headnote</p><p>1. 1 Melodrama and the Shock of the New</p><p>1. ‘Theatre’, <i>Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure</i>, November 1802, 375-376.</p><p>2. ‘The Theatres’, <i>The Satirist; or Censor of the Times</i>, 19 February 1832, 62.</p><p>3. ‘Monster Melo-Drame’, <i>The Satirist; or Monthly Meteor</i>, 1 January, 1808, 337-341</p><p>4. D—G [George Daniels], ‘Remarks’ on <i>A Tale of Mystery</i>, from <i>Cumberland’s British Theatre</i>, Vol. VIII (London: John Cumberland, 1826).</p><p>5. ‘Surrey Theatre’, <i>The Mirror of the Stage: or, New Dramatic Censor</i> 13 January, 1823, 189-190.</p><p>6. Walter Scott, extract from ‘An Essay on the Drama,’ originally published as <i>Supplement</i> to the <i>Encyclopaedia Britannica</i>, 1819. This version from <i>The Miscellaneous Prose Works of Sir Walter Scott,</i> Vol VI, <i>Chivalry, Romance, The Drama</i> (Edinburgh: Robert Cadell, and London: Whittaker & Co., 1834), pp. 383-395.</p><p>7. Joanna Baillie, extract from <i>A Series of Plays in which it is Attempted to Delineate the Stronger Passions of the Mind</i> [<i>Plays on the Passions</i>] (London: T. Cadell, 1798), pp. 12-26.</p><p>8. Henry Barton Baker, ‘The Old Melodrama’, <i>Belgravia</i>, May 1883, pp. 331-339.</p><p>1.2 The Decline of the Drama, and the National Theatre</p><p>Headnote</p><p>9. Edward Lytton Bulwer, ‘The Drama’, <i>From England and the English</i> Vol II (London: Richard Bentley, 1833), pp. 332-337, 339-346.</p><p>10. Extracts from the Evidence from the 1832 Select Committee Report: </p><p>Committee recommendations. </p><p>Evidence from John Payne Collier, Q. 279, p. 24.</p><p>Evidence from Douglas Jerrold; QQ 2834 to 2852, pp. 158-9.</p><p>Evidence from William Thomas Moncrieff, QQ3118-3216; pp. 175-180.</p><p>11. D. J. [Douglas Jerrold], ‘The Rights of Dramatists,’ <i>Monthly Magazine</i>, May 1832, 559-565.</p><p>12. Vivian, [George Henry Lewes] ‘Dreary Lane’, <i>The Leader</i>, 21st February, 1852.</p><p>13. [George Henry Lewes] ‘Vivian in Tears’, <i>The Leader</i>, 7 February, 1852.</p><p>14. ‘Why I Don’t Write Plays’, <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>, August 31, 1892.</p><p>15. ‘Why I Don’t Write Plays’, <i>Judy</i>, 28 September, 1892, p. 152.</p><p>16. Effingham Wilson, <i>A House for Shakespere: A Proposition for the Nation </i>(London: H. Hurst, 1848) pp. 5-7.</p><p>17. William Archer & Granville Barker, ‘Preface’, in <i>A National Theatre. Scheme and Estimates</i> (London: Duckworth, 1907), pp. xv – xxi.</p><p>18. Henry Arthur Jones, ‘The Future of English Drama’, <i>The New Review</i>, August, 1893, pp. 177-181.</p><p>1.3. The Woman Question</p><p>Headnote</p><p>19. ‘Women as Dramatists’, <i><strong>All the Year Round</strong></i>, 29 September, 1894, pp. 299-301.</p><p>20. ‘Women as Playwrights’, <i><strong>The Sketch</strong></i>, 8 June, 1898, p. 256.</p><p>21. ‘Women Playwrights’, <i>The Era</i>, 6 November, 1897, p. 14.</p><p>22. Madge Kendal, <i>The Drama</i>. A Paper Read at the Congress for the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, Birmingham, 1884. (London: David Bogue), pp. 2-6, 8-13. </p><p>23. Raymond Blathwayt, <i>Does the Theatre Make for Good?</i> <i>A Talk with Mr. Clement Scott, Reprinted from ‘Great Thoughts’</i> (London: A. W. Hall, 1898), pp. 3-18.</p><p>1.4. On Theatrical Criticism</p><p>Headnote</p><p>24. Leigh Hunt, ‘Appendix’ [Rules for the Theatrical Critic of a Newspaper] to <i>Critical Essays on the Performers of the London Theatres</i>, (London: John Hunt, 1807) pp. 17-21. </p><p>25. ‘On Theatrical Criticism’, <i>The Musical World</i>, 30 May 1839, pp. 69-73. </p><p>26. William Archer, ‘The Ethics of Theatrical Criticism’ in <i>About the Theatre: Essays and Studies </i>(London, T. F. Unwin, 1886.), pp. 183-196.</p><p>27. R. M. Sillard, ‘Concerning Theatrical Criticism,’ <i>Westminster Review</i>, December 1898, 634-640.</p><p>Part II: Theatrical Aesthetics in Practice</p><p>2.1 Pantomime</p><p>Headnote</p><p>28. ‘Introductory Chapter’, <i>Memoirs of Joseph Grimaldi</i>, by Boz [Charles Dickens], 1838, pp. xi-xix.</p><p>29. ‘Female Management’, <i>The Spectator</i>, 8 January, 1831, p. 34.</p><p>30. ‘Theatres’, <i>John Bull</i>, 29 December, 1834. </p><p>31. ‘Pantomimes and Christmas Pieces’, <i>Illustrated London News</i>, 28 December, 1844, 408-410</p><p>32. ‘Boxing Day’, <i>The Era</i>, 28 December, 1897. </p><p>33. Percy Fitzgerald, ‘Stage Illusion – Mechanism’, <i>The World Behind the Scenes</i>, (1881) pp. 1-5</p><p>34. Henry J. Byron, ‘Pantomimical’, <i>The Theatre</i>, 1 January, 1879, pp. 408-410.</p><p>2.2 Tragedy</p><p>Headnote</p><p>35. Leigh Hunt, <i>Critical Essays on the Performers of the London Theatres</i> (London: John Hunt, 1808)</p><p>a) ‘Tragedy’, pp. 1-4</p><p>b) ‘Mrs Siddons’, pp. 16-21</p><p>36. William Hazlitt, <i>A View of the English Stage</i> (London: Robert Stodart, 1818). </p><p>a) ‘Preface,’ pp. x-xiii</p><p>b) ‘Miss O’Neill’s Juliet’ pp. 46-50</p><p>37. Fanny Kemble’s debut as Juliet</p><p>a) ‘Covent-Garden Theatre,’ <i>The Times</i>, 6 October 1829. </p><p>b) ‘Covent-Garden Theatre,’ <i>Morning Chronicle</i>, 6 October, 1829.</p><p>c) ‘The Drama,’ <i>New Monthly Magazine</i>, Nov 1829, pp. 476-478.</p><p>38. John Forster, ‘Macready as Macbeth,’ <i>The Examiner</i>, October 4, 1835, repr. in <i>Dramatic Essays</i> edited by William Archer and Robert W. Lowe (London: Walter Scott, 1896), pp. 1-7</p><p>39. G. H. Lewes, ‘Rachel’, from <i>On Actors and the Art of Acting</i>, (New York: Henry Holt, 1881; first published 1875) pp. 31-38. </p><p>40. Charles Kean’s Shakespearean revivals: </p><p>a) ‘The Theatrical Examiner’, <i>The Examiner</i>, 14 February, 1852.</p><p>b) ‘Theatrical Success and Shakspere for 100 Nights’, <i>The Era</i>, September 16, 1855. </p><p>c) ‘Charles Kean and the Modern Stage’, <i>Blackwood’s</i>, April 1868, pp. 481-484.</p><p>41. Clement Scott, <i>From ‘The Bells’ to ‘King Arthur’</i> (London: John McQueen, 1897). </p><p>a) <i>The Bells</i>, pp. 3-7 </p><p>b) <i>A Story of Waterloo</i>, pp. 363-368</p><p>2.3. Victorian Acting and Scenography</p><p>Headnote</p><p>42. William Bodham Donne, ‘The Drama’, <i>Essays on the Drama</i> (London: John W. Parker & Son, 1858), pp. 120-128, 153-155.</p><p>43. G. H Lewes, ‘On Natural Acting’, in <i>On Actors and the Art of Acting</i> (New York: Henry Holt, 1880), pp. 100-112.</p><p>44. Henry Irving, ‘Preface’, to Denis Diderot, <i>Paradox of the Actor</i>, translated by Walter Herries Pollock (London: Chatto & Windus, 1883), p. ix – xx.</p><p>45. William Archer, ‘Diderot’s "Paradox of Acting"’, <i>Theatre</i> (1884: Mar.), pp.117-126. </p><p>2.4 Sensation Melodramas</p><p>Headnote</p><p>46. Dion Boucicault, <i>The Corsican Brothers</i> </p><p>a) ‘The Theatrical Examiner,’ <i>The Examiner</i>, 28 February, 1852, p. 134.</p><p>b) ‘Princess’s’ <i>The Athenaeum</i>, 28 February, 1852, p. 259. </p><p>c) ‘Metropolitan Theatres,’ <i>Theatrical Journal</i>, March 1852, p. 66. </p><p>d) ‘Our Little Chatter Box’ <i>Theatrical Journal</i>, March 1852. </p><p>e) Clement Scott on Henry Irving’s revival of <i>The Corsican Brothers</i>, <i>From ‘The Bells’ to ‘King Arthur’</i> (London: John McQueen, 1897) p. 177-181.</p><p>47. Wilkie Collins, <i>The Woman in White</i> (adaptation by Wilkie Collins, 1871)</p><p>a) ‘The Woman in White at the Olympic’, <i>The Examiner</i>, 14 October, 1871, p. 1018.</p><p>b) ‘The Woman in White’, <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>, 11 October, 1871.</p><p>48. <i>Lady Audley’s Secret </i>(adaptations of the novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon)</p><p>a) <i><strong>The Musical World</strong></i> (Vol. 41, No. 11), 14 March, 1863, p. 169.</p><p>b) ‘Public Amusements of the Metropolis’, <i><strong>New Sporting Magazine</strong></i>, (No. 268) April, 1863, pp. 351-353.</p><p>c) ‘The Theatrical Examiner’, <i>The Examiner</i>, 18 April, 1863, p. 248.</p><p>d) ‘Amusements,’ <i>The Penny Illustrated Paper</i>, 7 March, 1863, p. 155.</p><p>49. Wilson Barrett, <i>The Sign of the Cross</i> </p><p>a) ‘The "Sign of the Cross" at the Lyric,’ <i>The Sketch</i>, January 1896, p. 547-548</p><p>b) ‘Waftings from the Wings’, <i>Fun</i>, 14 January, 1896, p. 18.</p><p>c) William Archer, ‘Daughters of Babylon’, <i>Theatrical World</i>, 1897, pp. 23-30.</p><p>50. Paul M. Potter, <i>Trilby</i> (adapted from the novel by George du Maurier)</p><p>a) ‘Mr Tree’s "Trilby" at Manchester’, <i>Morning Post</i>, 9 September, 1895.</p><p>b) ‘"Trilby" at the Haymarket’, <i>The Era</i>, 2 November, 1895. </p><p>51. Arthur Wing Pinero, <i>The Second Mrs Tanqueray </i></p><p>a) ‘Last Night’s Theatricals’, <i>Reynolds’s Newspaper</i>, 28 May, 1893.</p><p>b) ‘St James’s Theatre’, <i>Morning Post</i>, 29 May, 1893.</p><p>c) ‘St James’s Theatre’, <i>The Times</i>, 29 May 1893. </p><p>Section 9: The New Drama</p><p>Headnote</p><p>52. Edward Aveling & Eleanor Marx, ‘The Woman Question: from a Socialist Point of View’, <i>Westminster Review</i>, January 1886, pp. 221-222.</p><p>53. W. A. Lewis Bettany, ‘Criticism and the Renascent Drama’, <i>The Theatre</i>, June 1892, pp. 277-283. </p><p>54. ‘Ibsen’s "Ghosts" at the Theatre Libre, <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>, 5 June, 1890. </p><p>55. ‘Ibsen at the Opéra Comique’, <i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>, 18 July 1889. </p><p>56. ‘Novelty Theatre’ <i>Daily Telegraph</i>, 8 June 1889. </p><p>57. ‘Novelty Theatre,’ <i>Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News</i>, 15 June 1889. </p><p>58. ‘The Independent Theatre,’ <i>The Times</i>, 1 May 1893.</p><p>59. A. B. W., ‘The Drama,’ <i>The Speaker</i>, 6 May 1893, p. 512. </p>