Harlequin Empire

More about the book

The book delves into the portrayal of foreign cultures and ethnicities in British theater between 1750 and 1840, highlighting how these performances, despite operating outside the established norms of the Licensing Act, became a platform for a plebeian Enlightenment. It examines the dynamics of the dramatic canon monopolized by major theaters and reveals how these alternative stages contributed to cultural discourse and representation during this period.