Lady Audley's Secret: A Drama in Two Acts (Broadview Anthology of British Literature): A Drama in Two Acts (1863) - Softcover

Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1554811600 ISBN 13: 9781554811601

Publisher: Broadview Press, 2013

Synopsis

Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s shocking and suspenseful novel Lady Audley’s Secret was one of the most popular examples of the “sensation fiction” craze of the 1860s. Within a year of the novel appearing in book form, no less than three theatrical adaptations appeared on the London stage. Braddon took strong issue with two of these, but she approved of the adaptation by Robert Walters (writing under the pseudonym “George Roberts”); this edition presents that version, which enjoyed a two season run at the Royal St. James Theatre. Entertaining in itself, the play also provides a fascinating example of how the suspense and the powerful characterizations of sensation fiction were heightened still further for the stage.

Together with the annotated text of the play itself, this edition includes an introduction addressing the life and work of Mary Elizabeth Braddon and placing Lady Audley’s Secret: A Drama in Two Acts in the context of the sensation fiction phenomenon. Appendices include a substantial selection of reviews of Lady Audley’s Secret—of the novel as well as of its dramatic adaptations—as well as a selection from the novel for comparison with the play.

About this title

About the Author

Contributing Editor Yevgeniya Traps is Associate Lecturer in English at Barnard College.

From the Back Cover

Mary Elizabeth Braddon's shocking and suspenseful novel Lady Audley's Secret was one of the most popular examples of the "sensation fiction" craze of the 1860s. Within a year of the novel appearing in book form, no less than three theatrical adaptations appeared on the London stage. Braddon took strong issue with two of these, but she approved of the adaptation by Robert Walters (writing under the pseudonym "George Roberts"); this edition presents that version, which enjoyed a two season run at the Royal St. James Theatre. Entertaining in itself, the play also provides a fascinating example of how the suspense and the powerful characterizations of sensation fiction were heightened still further for the stage.

Together with the annotated text of the play itself, this edition includes an introduction addressing the life and work of Mary Elizabeth Braddon and placing Lady Audley's Secret: A Drama in Two Acts in the context of the sensation fiction phenomenon. Appendices include a substantial selection of reviews of Lady Audley's Secret--of the novel as well as of its dramatic adaptations--as well as a selection from the novel for comparison with the play.

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadview Press
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1554811600
• ISBN 13: 9781554811601
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 109