Three Tragic Actresses
Siddons, Rachel, Ristori

This book examines the careers of three very different but pivotal actresses, placing their art in context.

Michael Booth (Author), John Stokes (Author), Susan Bassnett (Author)

9780521035552, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 March 2007

212 pages, 25 b/w illus.
23.3 x 15.5 x 1 cm, 0.31 kg

"...the detailed and scholarly individual essays make this book a valuable resource." Anne Russell, Comparative Drama

This book examines the careers of three performers whose professional lives together spanned the period from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth centuries, from the heyday of neo-Classicism to the coming of Realism. While the individual essays concentrate on the specific work of Siddons, Rachel and Ristori, a wide-ranging introduction relates their collective achievement to social and cultural change. All three rejuvenated a national repertoire and experimented with new forms of dramatic literature, achieving fame far beyond the boundaries of their own country. As they redefined the nature of tragic experience, as strong and independent women, they contributed greatly to changing concepts of gender and sexuality. Vivid reconstructions of their interpretations and unique accounts of theatrical conditions place the art of three very different but pivotal figures in context.

List of illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Sarah Siddons Michael R. Booth
Rachel Felix John Stokes
Adelaide Ristori Susan Bassnett
Notes
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]