Eighteenth Century Drama : Censorship, Society and the Stage
Resource available to authorized IU Bloomington users (on or off campus)
Archive of almost every play submitted for licence between 1737 and 1824. Also includes hundreds of documents that provide social context for the plays.
Additional Information
Eighteenth Century Drama features three distinct areas:
Primary source documents; the focus of which is the Larpent collection of plays and Anna Larpent's Diaries
John Larpent was the English Inspector of Plays from 1778-1824 and responsible for executing the Licensing Act of 1737, a landmark act of censorship which required the Lord Chamberlain's office to approve any play before it was staged. The main focus of Eighteenth Century Drama is the John Larpent plays from the Huntington Library; this is the collection of plays that Larpent preserved from the original licence submissions. There are over 2,500 plays which make up the majority of the collection. Also included are the diaries of Larpent's wife and professional collaborator Anna, recording her criticisms of plays as well as insights into theatrical culture and English society. The resource also features correspondence between key theatrical figures, biographical information, portraits, advertisement, historical information, and visual material.
The London Stage Database
The companion text, The London Stage 1660-1800, which lists every traceable performance 1660-1800, has been made available as a searchable database. The information from this database has been used to power the text analysis tool, The London Stage Data Associations in order to illustrate trends within and between theatres, across years, between works performed, roles enacted and actors included in The London Stage. Users can also view The London Stage in its original printed format.
The Biographical Dictionary Database
The companion text A Biographical Dictionary of Actors etc. 1660-1800 has also been made available as a searchable database.
Primary source documents; the focus of which is the Larpent collection of plays and Anna Larpent's Diaries
John Larpent was the English Inspector of Plays from 1778-1824 and responsible for executing the Licensing Act of 1737, a landmark act of censorship which required the Lord Chamberlain's office to approve any play before it was staged. The main focus of Eighteenth Century Drama is the John Larpent plays from the Huntington Library; this is the collection of plays that Larpent preserved from the original licence submissions. There are over 2,500 plays which make up the majority of the collection. Also included are the diaries of Larpent's wife and professional collaborator Anna, recording her criticisms of plays as well as insights into theatrical culture and English society. The resource also features correspondence between key theatrical figures, biographical information, portraits, advertisement, historical information, and visual material.
The London Stage Database
The companion text, The London Stage 1660-1800, which lists every traceable performance 1660-1800, has been made available as a searchable database. The information from this database has been used to power the text analysis tool, The London Stage Data Associations in order to illustrate trends within and between theatres, across years, between works performed, roles enacted and actors included in The London Stage. Users can also view The London Stage in its original printed format.
The Biographical Dictionary Database
The companion text A Biographical Dictionary of Actors etc. 1660-1800 has also been made available as a searchable database.
Coverage:
18th Century
Vendor:
Adam Matthew
Producer:
Adam Matthew
Interlibrary Loan:
Secure Electronic Transmission Permitted
Simultaneous User Limit:
Unlimited simultaneous users
TERMS OF USE