The Irish Theatre in Transition explores the ever-changing Irish Theatre from its inception to its vibrant modern-day reality. This book shows some of the myriad forms of transition and how Irish theatre reflects the changing conditions of a changing society and nation.

In the 18th century "virtue" was a word to conjure with. It called to mind heroic predecessors from the Roman Republic such as Cato and Brutus and invoked qualities of personal integrity, selflessness and a concern for the common good, which, though urgently needed, seemed desperately lacking, both in the ruthless party struggles of the age of Anne and subsequently in the all pervading political corruption of the Walpole administration. When the longed for political saviour failed to materialize it was increasingly felt that if virtue existed at all then it would have to be sought for among the lower orders of society or else in provincial areas, where simpler and nobler values might still prevail. But with the coming of the French Revolution and Romanticism, virtue began to lose its powerful resonances. It now seemed naive and simplistic, all too ready to deny both the complexities of human nature and the possibility of determination by external cultural forces.

This in-depth study of Victorian literature and culture begins with the accession to the throne by Queen Victoria in 1837 to her proclamation as Empress of India in 1877 - the age of Dickens, Mill, George Eliot, Tennyson and Browning. It is a time of growing national self-confidence and of impressive industrial, scientific and literary achievements, yet it is also an age marked by dislocation and uncertainty, as familiar landmarks disappear, a world haunted by its own strategic silences and an undemocratic society driven by democratic rhetoric. Freedom of speech and openess of discussion were values on which Victorians ostensibly prided themselves, yet the actual prospect was one which high Victorian culture found troubling.

The Irish Theatre in Transition explores the ever-changing Irish Theatre from its inception to its vibrant modern-day reality. This book shows some of the myriad forms of transition and how Irish theatre reflects the changing conditions of a changing society and nation.

More Than Two Thousand Paintings In United States And Canada By Forty Famous Artists.