In eighteenth-century England, actresses were frequently dismissed
as mere prostitutes trading on their sexual power rather than their
talents. Yet they were, Felicity Nussbaum argues, central to the
success of a newly commercial theater. Urban, recently moneyed, and
thoroughly engaged with their audiences, celebrated actresses were
among the first women to achieve social mobility, cultural
authority, and financial independence. In fact, Nussbaum contends,
the eighteenth century might well be called the "age of the
actress" in the British theater, given women's influence on the
dramatic repertory and, through it, on the definition of
femininity. Treating individual star actresses who helped spark a
cult of celebrity-especially Anne Oldfield, Susannah Cibber,
Catherine Clive, Margaret Woffington, Frances Abington, and George
Anne Bellamy-Rival Queens reveals the way these women animated
issues of national identity, property, patronage, and fashion in
the context of their dramatic performances. Actresses intentionally
heightened their commercial appeal by catapulting the rivalries
among themselves to center stage. They also boldly challenged in
importance the actor-managers who have long dominated
eighteenth-century theater history and criticism. Felicity Nussbaum
combines an emphasis on the actresses themselves with close
analysis of their diverse roles in works by major playwrights,
including George Farquhar, Nicholas Rowe, Colley Cibber, Arthur
Murphy, David Garrick, Isaac Bickerstaff, and Richard Sheridan.
Hers is a comprehensive and original argument about the importance
of actresses as the first modern subjects, actively shaping their
public identities to make themselves into celebrated properties.
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