Staging "The Mysterious Mother"

The first book-length study of Horace Walpoles scandalous The Mysterious Mother includes critical essays, an abridged script, and a facsimile edition. The play was read and performed more than Walpoles protests suggest, exploring topics such as crypto-Catholicism, incest, guilt, motherhood, orphans, and scientific spectacle.

Format: Hardback
Length: 376 pages
Publication date: 23 January 2024
Publisher: Yale University Press

Horace Walpole's scandalous five-act tragedy, The Mysterious Mother (1768), is a sensational tale of incest and intrigue. Initially circulated only among the author's friends, Walpole never permitted it to be performed during his lifetime except as a private theatrical. However, the essays in this volume trace a history of private readings, amateur theatricals, and even early public performances, demonstrating that the play was read and performed more than Walpole's protests suggest.

Exploring a wide variety of topics, including the play's crypto-Catholicism, its treatments of incest, guilt, motherhood, orphans, and scientific spectacle, the essays demonstrate the rich relevance of The Mysterious Mother to current critical discussions.

The volume includes the proceedings of a mini-conference hosted at Yale University in 2018 on the occasion of a staged reading of the play. Also included are the directors reflections, an abridged script, a facsimile of Walpole's own copy of the full-length play, and reproductions of the illustrations he commissioned from Lady Diana Beauclerk.

Weight: 696g
Dimension: 161 x 242 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300263657