It was during the Victorian era that the circus, whose origins
lay in the fairground world, emerged as a commercialized
entertainment that we would recognize today. This development was
intricately tied to a widespread demand for circus acts by a broad
range of classes. In The Circus and Victorian Society, Brenda
Assael examines this interest in the circus as an artistic form
within the context of a vibrant, and sometimes not so respectable,
consumer market. In doing so, she provides not only the first
scholarly history of the Victorian circus but also a new view of
nineteenth-century popular culture, which has usually been seen as
the preserve only of the working class.
The Victorian circus ring was a showcase for equestrian battle
scenes, Chinese jugglers, clowns, female acrobats, and child
performers. In addition to their wondrous qualities, unabashed
displays of physical power, and sometimes subversive humor,
however, Assael reveals how such acts were also rendered as
grotesque, lewd, or dangerous.
The consuming public's desire to see the very kinds of displays
that reformers wished to regulate put the circus establishment in a
difficult position. Wishing to create a respectable reputation for
itself while also functioning as a profitable business, the
industry was engaged in a struggle that required the appeasement of
both the regulator and the consumer. This conflict informs us not
only of the complicated role that the circus played in Victorian
society but also provides a unique view into a collective psyche
fraught by contradiction and anxiety.
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