Dion Boucicault: Irish Identity on Stage

by Deirdre McFeely

Overview

Deirdre McFeely presents the first book-length critical study of Dion Boucicault, placing his Irish plays in the context of his overall career. The book undertakes a detailed examination of the reception of the plays in the New York-London-Dublin theatre triangle which Boucicault inhabited. Interpreting theatre history as a sociocultural phenomenon that closely approximates social history, McFeely examines the different social and political worlds in which the plays were produced, demonstrating that the complex politics of reception of the plays cannot be separated from the social and political implications of colonialism at that time. The study argues for a shift in focus from the politics of the plays, and their author, to the politics of the auditorium and the press, or the politics of reception. It is within that complex and shifting field of stage, theatre and public media that Boucicault's performance as playwright, actor and publicist is interpreted.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781139365864
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/12/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Deirdre McFeely's work on Boucicault has appeared in publications including Irish Theatre on Tour (edited by Nicholas Grene and Chris Morash) and Irish Theater in America: Essays on Irish Theatrical Diaspora (edited by John Harrington). This is her first book.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Becoming Boucicault; 2. Nationalism, race and class in The Colleen Bawn; 3. Music, myth and censorship in Arrah-na-Pogue; 4. Alternative readings: The Rapparee and Daddy O'Dowd; 5. The politics of exile: The Shaughraun in New York; 6. 'Audiences are not political assemblies': The Shaughraun in London; 7. Supporting the Land League: The O'Dowd; Conclusion: towards an Irish national drama.

Editorial Reviews

"This is a wonderfully well-researched and discerning book, placing Boucicault as a much more politically motivated playwright than previous critics have ever suggested."
—Irish Times

"The results of her re-contextualization are revealing, and the book is filled with surprising archival detail. For example, McFeely gives a magisterial reassessment of Arrah-na-Pogue, showing how Boucicault created an enduring myth that all or part of this play was banned. McFeely also throws light on overlooked scripts such as The O'Dowd and The Rapparee, and her analysis is persuasive, with plot and language examined in order to make judgements about artistic quality and political imperative."
-Times Literary Supplement

"There is much to like in this well-researched study, which illuminates the international reception of some of Boucicault's best-known work. … students of Boucicault will find it a rich resource."
Nicholas Daly, Victorian Studies

From the Publisher