The Dramaturgy of the Spectator

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Focusing on the evolution of spectatorship, this book examines how Italian theatre adapted to the rise of a new spectator type in the mid-seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It argues that understanding the interplay between power structures and the public sphere requires a detailed analysis of how spectatorship was intertwined with the social and cultural politics of the era. By exploring dramatic innovations and communicative strategies, the author reshapes the perception of the audience as both a theoretical concept and a historical phenomenon.