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Historia Histrionica
''Historia Histrionica'' is a 1699 literary work by James Wright (1643-1713), on the subject of theatre in England in the seventeenth century. It is an essential resource for information on the actors and theatrical life of the period, providing data available nowhere else. The work's full title is ''Historia Histrionica: An historical account of the English stage shewing the ancient use, improvement, and perfection of dramatick representations in this nation. In a dialogue of plays and players.'' The original 1699 octavo edition, published anonymously, was printed by G. Groom for the bookseller William Hawes. (His shop was at the sign of the Rose, in Ludgate Street.) As its title indicates, the work is cast in the form of a dialogue between two abstract figures, Lovewit and Trueman; Trueman imparts to Lovewit (and to the reader) his knowledge of theatrical matters. The author, James Wright (1643–1713), was an attorney and occasional poet, and a collector of old plays. Along ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1699 In Literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1699. Events * January 27 – Jonathan Swift is out of work after his employer, Sir William Temple, dies, leaving Swift £100. *May 4 – The beginning of the fictional '' Gulliver's Travels'' (1726). *June 1 – Joseph Addison receives a grant or pension from the Crown, enabling him to travel abroad. New books Prose * Richard Bentley – ''A Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris'' (prev. pub. in William Wotton's ''Reflections upon Ancient and Modern Learning'') *Samuel Clarke **''Some Reflections on that part of a book called Amyntor, or a Defence of Milton's Life, which relates to the Writings of the Primitive Fathers, and the Canon of the New Testament'' **''Three Practical Essays on Baptism, Confirmation and Repentance'' *Jeremy Collier – ''A Defence of the Short View of the Profaneness and Immorality of the English Stage'' (see 1698 in literature) *Anne Dacier (Anne Lefèvre) – Homer' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Wright (antiquarian)
James Wright (1643–1713), was an antiquary and writer, author of a county history of Rutland (1684), and the ''Historia Histrionica'' (1699), an account of theatre in England in the seventeenth century. Early life and education Wright was the son of Abraham Wright, by his wife Jane (d. 1645), daughter of James Stone. He was born at Yarnton, Oxfordshire, where he was baptised in 1643. He did not attend either Oxford or Cambridge, but in 1666 became a student of New Inn, migrating in 1669 to the Middle Temple, by which society he was called to the bar in 1672. Interests "During the fluctuations of government and afterwards", says Thomas Warton, "he was attached to the principles of monarchy in their most extensive comprehension, and from this circumstance he might have derived his predilection for the theatre which had been suppressed by the republicans." Besides the theatre he was much attached to country life, and dwelt often with his father at Oakham. He was "a skilful antiq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Book Size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from ''folio'' (the largest), to ''quarto'' (smaller) and ''octavo'' (still smaller). Historically, these terms referred to the format of the book, a technical term used by printers and bibliographers to indicate the size of a leaf in terms of the size of the original sheet. For example, a quarto (from Latin ''quartō'', ablative form of ''quartus'', fourth) historically was a book printed on sheets of paper folded in half twice, with the first fold at right angles to the second, to produce 4 leaves (or 8 pages), each leaf one fourth the size of the original sheet printed – note that a ''leaf'' refers to the single piece of paper, whereas a ''page'' is one side of a leaf. Because the actual format of many modern books cannot be determined fro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerard Langbaine
Gerard Langbaine (15 July 1656 – 23 June 1692) was an English dramatic biographer and critic, best known for his ''An Account of the English Dramatic Poets'' (1691), the earliest work to give biographical and critical information on the playwrights of English Renaissance theatre. He is sometimes called Junior or the Younger to distinguish him from his father (1609–58) of the same name, a Doctor of Divinity who was Provost of The Queen's College, Oxford (1646–58) and Keeper of the University Archives. Life The younger Langbaine was born in the parish of St. Peter-in-the-East, Oxford; his father's second son, he was apprenticed to a bookseller in St. Paul's Churchyard in London, but was sent to University after his older brother William died in 1672. He was educated at University College, Oxford, married, and settled in the neighborhood of Oxford. In 1690 he acquired a post at the University, as "yeoman bedel in arts," and in the following year was promoted to "esquire bedel o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Downes (prompter)
John Downes (died c. 1712) worked as a prompter at the Duke's Company, and later the United Company, for most of the Restoration period 1660–1700. His "historical review of the stage", ''Roscius Anglicanus'' (1708), is an invaluable source for historians both of Restoration and of Stuart theater. Downes first enters the theatrical record in 1664, when he was registered by the Lord Chamberlain as a member of William Davenant's troupe under the patronage of the Duke of York. By his own admission, stage fright kept him from an acting career, although he is known to have played Haly in ''The Siege of Rhodes''. Later in the 1660s, he is recorded as a member of Thomas Betterton's King's Company; his main work seems to have been as prompter. He continued in this function when the two companies united in 1682; when the companies split in 1694, he remained with Betterton until the middle of the next decade. He is the subject of a number of the ''Tatler''; in this letter from Downes (pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Dodsley
Robert Dodsley (13 February 1703 – 23 September 1764) was an English bookseller, publisher, poet, playwright, and miscellaneous writer. Life Dodsley was born near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, where his father was master of the free school. He is said to have been apprenticed to a stocking-weaver in Mansfield, from whom he ran away, going into service as a footman. Profits and fame from his early literary works enabled Dodsley to establish himself with the help of his friends (Alexander Pope lent him £100) as a bookseller at the sign of Tully's Head in Pall Mall, London, in 1735. He soon became one of the foremost publishers of the day. One of his first publications was Samuel Johnson's ''London'' for which he paid ten guineas in 1738. He published many of Johnson's works, and he suggested and helped to finance Johnson's ''Dictionary''. Pope also made over to Dodsley his interest in his letters. In 1738, the publication of Paul Whitehead's ''Manners'' was voted scandalous by th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1699 Books
Events January–March * January 5 – A 1699 Java earthquake, violent Java earthquake damages the city of Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia on the Indonesian island of Java, killing at least 28 people * January 20 – The Parliament of England (under Tories (British political party), Tory dominance) limits the size of the country's standing army to 7,000 'native born' men; hence, William III of England, King William III's Dutch Blue Guards cannot serve in the line. By an Act of February 1, it also requires disbandment of foreign troops in Ireland. * January 26 – The Republic of Venice, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Holy Roman Empire sign the Treaty of Karlowitz with the Ottoman Empire, marking an end to the major phase of the Ottoman–Habsburg wars. The treaty marks a major geopolitical shift, as the Ottoman Empire subsequently abandons its expansionism and adopts a defensive posture while the Habsburg monarchy expands its influence. * February 3 – The first ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
17th-century History Books
The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 ( MDCI), to December 31, 1700 ( MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized by the Baroque cultural movement, the latter part of the Spanish Golden Age, the Dutch Golden Age, the French ''Grand Siècle'' dominated by Louis XIV, the Scientific Revolution, the world's first public company and megacorporation known as the Dutch East India Company, and according to some historians, the General Crisis. From the mid-17th century, European politics were increasingly dominated by the Kingdom of France of Louis XIV, where royal power was solidified domestically in the civil war of the Fronde. The semi-feudal territorial French nobility was weakened and subjugated to the power of an absolute monarchy through the reinvention of the Palace of Versailles from a hunting lodge to a gilded prison, in which a greatly expanded royal court could be more easily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-fiction Books About Theatre
Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with being presented more objectively, like historical, scientific, or otherwise straightforward and accurate information, but sometimes, can be presented more subjectively, like sincerely held beliefs and thoughts on a real-world topic. One prominent usage of nonfiction is as one of the two fundamental divisions of narrative (storytelling)—often, specifically, prose writing—in contrast to narrative fiction, which is largely populated by imaginary characters and events, though sometimes ambiguous regarding its basis in reality. Some typical examples of nonfiction include diaries, biographies, news stories, documentary films, textbooks, travel books, recipes, and scientific journals. While specific claims in a nonfiction work may pro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theatre In England
Theatre of United Kingdom plays an important part in British culture, and the countries that constitute the UK have had a vibrant tradition of theatre since the Renaissance with roots going back to the Roman occupation. Beginnings Theatre was introduced from Europe to what is now the United Kingdom by the Romans and auditoriums were constructed across the country for this purpose (an example has been excavated at Verulamium). By the medieval period, theatre had developed with the mummers' plays, a form of early street theatre associated with the Morris dance, concentrating on themes such as Saint George and the Dragon and Robin Hood. These were folk tales re-telling old stories, and the actors travelled from town to town performing these for their audiences in return for money and hospitality. Medieval theatre: 500–1500 The medieval mystery plays and morality plays, which dealt with Christian themes, were performed at religious festivals. The most important work of lite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
History Of Theatre
The history of theatre charts the development of theatre over the past 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment and ''theatrical'' or ''performative'' elements in other activities. The history of theatre is primarily concerned with the origin and subsequent development of the theatre as an autonomous activity. Since classical Athens in the 5th century BC, vibrant traditions of theatre have flourished in cultures across the world. Origins Despite theatre's resemblance to the performance of ritual activities, and the important relationship that theatre shares with ritual, there is no conclusive evidence to show that theatre originated from ritual.Cohen and Sherman (2020, ch. 7). This similarity of early theatre to ritual is negatively attested by Aristotle, who in his ''Poetics'' defined theatre in contrast to the performances of sacred mysteries: theatre di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
