Inchbald’S Kotzebue: The Wise Man of the East (1799) and Social Assemblage Theory

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Published: Feb 1, 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/lincu-2015-0020
Keywords:
Mrs. Inchbald social assemblage theory eighteenth century theatre performance history

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David Worrall
Nottingham Trent University

Abstract

This article argues that Lord Mansfield's judgement in favour of the actor Charles Macklin in 1775 wrought a profound change on noisy and disruptive theatre auditoriums. Mansfield ruled that persons returning to theatres to repeatedly disrupt performances were guilty of conspiracy and performers' lost earning were assessed as felonies in English common law. Those found guilty might have substantial damages awarded against them and might be liable for a prison sentence. The paper traces that Garrick's Drury Lane was repeatedly disrupted but with no action being taken, even though ringleaders had been identified. Macklin's case, arising from his engagement at Covent Garden, suppressed repeatedly rowdy evenings. The paper suggests that Sarah Siddons's rise at Drury Lane from 1782 onwards was linked to these changes in the legal environment for stage performers.

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How to Cite
Worrall, D. “Inchbald’S Kotzebue: The Wise Man of the East (1799) and Social Assemblage Theory”. Linguaculture, vol. 5, no. 1, Feb. 2014, doi:10.1515/lincu-2015-0020.
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Vol. 5 No. 1 (2014)
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Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

David Worrall, Nottingham Trent University

David Worrall is Emeritus Professor of English at Nottingham Trent University. He has received fellowships and funding awards from British Academy, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Leverhulme Trust and Australian National University. He is the author of Theatric Revolution: Drama, Censorship and Romantic Period Subcultures (Oxford UP., 2006), The Politics of Romantic Theatricality: The Road to the Stage (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007), Harlequin Empire: Race, Ethnicity and the Drama of the Popular Enlightenment (Pickering & Chatto, 2007) and Celebrity, Performance, Reception: British Georgian Theatre as Social Assemblage (Cambridge UP., 2013). 

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