Seven Gothic Dramas, 1789–1825

by Jeffrey N. Cox

The Gothic drama came at a critical moment in the history of the theater, of British culture, and of European politics in the shadow of France’s revolution and the fall of Napoleon. It offered playwrights a medium to express the prevailing ideological tensions of romanticism and revolution, and also responded to a growing and changing theater audience.

In a wide-ranging introduction, Cox explores Gothic drama’s links with romanticism and its relation to other social and ideological shifts of the day. The texts are presented so as to reflect the dual life of dramatic works—on the stage and on the page. The plays are annotated and accompanied by biographic and bibliographic sketches.

Includes The Kentish Barons , by Francis North; Julia of Louvain; or, Monkish Cruelty , by J.C. Cross; The Castle Spectre , by Matthew G. Lewis; The Captive , by Matthew G. Lewis; De Monfort , by Joanna Baillie; Bertram; or, The Castle of St. Aldobrand , by C.R. Maturin; and Presumption; or, The Fate of Frankenstein , by R.B. Peake.

Genres: Plays, Romanticism

425 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1992

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great anthology of some extremely obscure plays. In the twentieth century, plays from the Romantic period essentially dropped from readers' and theatregoers' consciousness. After Ibsen and Naturalism, their heightened emotions and excessive plots were considered unstageable and unreadable. Reading this book hasn't convinced me that these plays would succeed on the twenty-first century stage, at least without a sea-change in theatrical taste, but it has convinced me that they make great reading. Of the six included plays, Joanna Baillie's De Monfort and Robert Maturin's Bertram were the best. Baillie's is the most subtle in the collection, and has the most interesting female characters. Maturin's has the most extravagant poetry. Lewis's Castle Spectre was also a lot of fun. The other plays are very readable, and give a good sense of British theatrical tastes in the age of the French Revolution and Napoleon. The final play, Richard Peake's Presumption, is particularly interesting, being the first ever stage adaptation of Frankenstein. It is interesting to know that Igor's original name was "Fritz," and that in the original stage version, the ending was rather dramatic.

Cox's introduction to the plays is excellent. He is a good writer, and concisely explains how theatrical tastes developed in the Romantic period, and how they were affected by changes in the theatre industry (e.g. after the two main London theatres were renovated to include more seats).

The Gothic is a fascinating tradition, bringing some ugly aspects of human nature to the surface, and tearing down the usual institutions of our everyday lives, like law, love and family. This book was a great read, and should appeal to all students of Romantic Literature. 4/5