Rise and Fall of Rape on the English Stage - 16601720

This book examines one of the most pervasive and successful dramatic tropes of the Restoration and early eighteenth century: sexual violence.
During this sixty-year span, there were over fifty tragic and tragi-comedic productions that showcased rape and/or attempted rape-a remarkable number that was unprecedented in English dramatic history. Rape was not merely depicted more frequently during the Restoration, but it was also placed at the center of more plots, given more pathetic emphasis, and even staged more centrally. Restoration dramatists were the first to revolve routinely entire plots around the rapes of their innocent heroines, to give powerful voices to these heroines post-rape, and to imbue their sexually violent scenes with new and attention-getting staging techniques, such as discovery scenes. As this book argues, sexual violence emerged at this time as a highly flexible dramatic trope that could be used to illustrate terrifying political scenarios, elicit extreme pathos in audiences, and demonstrate the bearing that lost chastity had on social stability. It is precisely the rich, multi-faceted appeal of these productions-politically, sexually, visually, and culturally-that explains the popularity and significance of this dramatic trope on the English stage.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars in Restoration, eighteenth-century studies, and theatre and performance studies.

List of contents

1. Introduction  2. Sexual Violence on the Restoration Stage  3. Orientalist Depictions of Rape  4. From Chastity Stolen to Chastity Lost

About the author

Anne Greenfield is Professor of English, Valdosta State University.

Summary

This book examines one of the most pervasive and successful dramatic tropes of the Restoration and early eighteenth century: sexual violence.

Product details

• Authors: Anne Greenfield
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 28.08.2024
• EAN: 9781032676968
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3267696-8
• No. of pages: 142
• Series: Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > General, dictionaries; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > General, dictionaries; England, Cultural Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, ART / European, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, PERFORMING ARTS / Theater / General, ART / Performance, Theatre Studies, Gender studies, gender groups, Performance Art, C 1600 To C 1700, Early 18th century c 1700 to c 1750, C 1700 To C 1800, Later 17th century c 1650 to c 1699, 18th Century Theatre;Sexual Violence