Women in Wartime: Theatrical Representations in the Long Eighteenth Century

During the long eighteenth century, Great Britain was almost continuously at war, and the theatre discovered the potential of having actresses perform as wartime women characters. Paula Backscheider's Women in Wartime is the first study of theatrical representations of women with intimate connections to military men, exploring the lives and work of sweethearts, wives, mothers, sisters, barmaids, provision sellers, seaport prostitutes, and more. She explicates more than fifty plays as both entertainment and ideological and propagandistic vehicles, debunking sexual stereotypes and attention to audience-pleasing roles. The repertoire demonstrates the startling acuity and prescience of the repertoire in responding to the war-steeped culture of the period.

Format: Hardback
Length: 456 pages
Publication date: 14 December 2021
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Women in Wartime is a groundbreaking exploration of the characters that playwrights and managers crafted from the real lives of women in intimate relationships with military men during the war-saturated eighteenth century. As the era unfolded, the theatre gradually recognized the potential of employing actresses, who had only recently been introduced to the stage in the 1660s, to portray wartime women characters. As playwrights and managers began casting women in transformative roles to meet each major national need, female characters emerged as central figures in bringing the war home to the nation, transforming them into deeply patriotic British subjects.

Paula Backscheider's Women in Wartime is the first comprehensive study of theatrical representations of women with intimate connections to military men. Drawing upon her extensive expertise in gender, performance studies, popular culture, and archival studies, Backscheider traces the rise of the London theatre's acceptance that one of its responsibilities was to support its country's wars. Rather than focusing on the historical, mythical warrior women on the battlefield, which have been extensively studied, Backscheider delves into the lives and work of sweethearts, wives, mothers, sisters, barmaids, provision sellers, seaport prostitutes, and many more. These women, whose relationships with active-duty men made them recruits, volunteers, or even conscripts, represent a distinct group of thousands of real women, and the actresses who portrayed them delivered performances that encompassed change, struggle, celebration, mourning, survival, love, and patriotism.

Backscheider elucidates over fifty plays, encompassing a wide range of genres such as main pieces, short farces, interludes, afterpieces, comic operas, entr'actes, pantomimes, and even mas. These plays, written by renowned playwrights like William Shakespeare, John Dryden, and George Frideric Handel, provide a rich tapestry of representations of women in wartime. Through her meticulous analysis, Backscheider sheds light on the ways in which these plays shaped public perceptions of women, military service, and national identity during the eighteenth century.

Women in Wartime is a seminal work that not only contributes to our understanding of theatre history but also offers valuable insights into the complex relationships between gender, power, and warfare. It challenges traditional narratives of heroism and bravery and highlights the experiences of ordinary women who played a vital role in shaping the course of history during a period of immense conflict. This book will be of interest to scholars, students, and anyone with an interest in gender, history, and the performing arts.

Weight: 726g
Dimension: 160 x 235 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421441672