The Punch & Judy Show: History, Tradition, and Meaning

by Robert Leach

The first ever comprehensive history of the English national puppet show. With a wealth of pictorial illustration and quotation taken from his own research, he draws out the many different strands - from abroad, from English popular culture, and from the contributions of Punchmen themselves - which combined to create the central Punch and Judy tradition. He relates in throughout to changing social and political conditions since the industrial revolution, showing, for example, its initial role as a popular response to an oppressive penal system (as in Punch's encounters with Hangman).

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Dr. Robert Leach is a poet and a theatre practitioner. He has published six collections of poetry, as well as pamphlets and chapbooks. He has also published more than a dozen books of theatre history and theatre theory, including the two volume History of British Theatre and Performance, published by Routledge.

He is a former chair of Borders Writers Forum and currently chair of Melrose Literary Society.

Reviews

[Terrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is my brief review in my blog: http://www.wumpmucketpuppets.com/2013...