1st Edition
The Rise and Fall of Rape on the English Stage 1660–1720
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, to elicit extreme pathos in audiences, and to demonstrate the bearing 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 exceptional dramatic trope on the English stage.
This book will be of great interest to students and scholars in Restoration, eighteenth-century studies, and theatre and performance studies.
A Note on Dates, Titles, Quotations, and Style
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Sexual Violence on the Restoration Stage
Chapter 3: Orientalist Depictions of Rape
Chapter 4: From Chastity Stolen to Chastity Lost
Afterword
Works Cited
Index
Biography
Anne Greenfield is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, English Department, Valdosta State University.