Introduction coming soon.
An historical, musical & illustrative Lecture, entitled, Leaves from the Life! and Lays from the Lyre! of William Shakespere!
Edited by Rhian Williams
Leaves from the Life! and Lays from the Lyre! of William Shakespeare! is an unusual Victorian artefact, being the script for an ‘illustrated lecture’ held at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in March 1853. This lightly comic piece celebrates minor characters from Shakespeare’s comedies and featured performances of several Shakespearean and traditional English songs. Likely devised in collaboration with the recognised theatre director and Shakespeare scholar, Samuel Phelps, this lecture has vibrant things to tell us about how Victorian theatre was evolving with the tastes of the growing suburban classes.
The Loves of Arcadia by Miss Braddon.
Edited by Laurie Garrison
The Loves of Arcadia is a light historical comedy set during the reign of Louis XV. Written by Mary Elizabeth Braddon, better known as one of the major sensation novelists of the 1860s, The Loves of Arcadia showcases Braddon’s penchant for undermining moral convention with ample racy allusions throughout the text. However, the modern reader should be warned that there is an offensive, though brief, representation of a black character as well as derogatory remarks about a minor character’s weight.