
The Taste of the Town
Shakespearian Comedy and the Early 18th Century Theater
Katherine West Scheil(Author)
Bucknell University Press,U.S.
Published on 1. March 2003
Book
Hardback
333 pages
978-1-61148-178-5 (ISBN)
Description
In The Taste of the Town: Shakespearian Comedy and the Early Eighteenth-Century Theater, Katherine West Scheil considers the reception history of Shakespeare's comedies within the context of the Restoration and early eighteenth-century theater, from 1660 until the Licensing Act of 1737. In the absence of an overarching methodology about how to stage and interpret Shakespeare, playwrights of the period were motivated by popular taste, and adapted and appropriated Shakespearian comedy according to current theatrical and cultural trends. Scheil discusses how the popularity of music and dance, poiltical controversies, the fluidity of acting companies, the influence of print culture, a recently edited play, a popular comic actor, a new musical composer, or a novel way of constructing a scene affected the rendition of Shakespeare's comedies to appeal to the taste of town. Thoroughly researched and carefully argued, The Taste of the Town, is a valuable and timely contribution to the understanding of the culture and practice of the Restoration and early eighteenth-century theater; as well as to the history of Shakespeare's early reputation.
Reviews / Votes
[Scheil] "provides a valuable and scholarly history of theater adaptation, examining the way the comedies were altered and appropriated in light of current trends and audience demand" (420), particularly the differences between eighteenth century and Restoration adaptations. -- Dympna Callaghan, Recent Studies in Tudor and Stuart Drama (SEL 44:20) * Syracuse University * "This book will remain the standard account for years to come." -- Don-John Dugas * The Scriblerian *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cranbury
United States
Publishing group
Associated University Presses
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 243 mm
Width: 168 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
676 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-61148-178-5 (9781611481785)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Katherine West Scheil received her M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto. She is currently an Assistant Professor of English at the University of Rhode Island and lives in providence with her husband Andrew Scheil and son William. She is working on a book about women and reading groups of Shakespeare.