Satire's Liminal Space: the Conservative Function of Eighteenth- Century Satiric Drama

Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2004-03-18 Satire's Liminal Space: The Conservative Function of Eighteenth- Century Satiric Drama Sheila Ann Morton Brigham Young University - Provo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Morton, Sheila Ann, "Satire's Liminal Space: The Conservative Function of Eighteenth-Century Satiric Drama" (2004). Theses and Dissertations. 122. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/122 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. SATIRE’S LIMINAL SPACE: THE CONSERVATIVE FUNCTION OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SATIRIC DRAMA by Sheila A. Morton A thesis submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of English Brigham Young University April 2004 BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY GRADUATE COMMITTEE APPROVAL of a thesis submitted by Sheila A. Morton This thesis has been read by each member of the following graduate committee and by majority vote has been found to be satisfactory ______________________ _______________________________________ Date David B. Paxman, Chair ______________________ _______________________________________ Date Claudia W. Harris ______________________ _______________________________________ Date Gary L. Hatch BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY As chair of the candidate’s graduate committee, I have read the thesis of Sheila A. Morton in its final form and have found that (1) its format, citations, and bibliographical style are consistent and acceptable and fulfill university and department style requirements; (2) its illustrative materials including figures, tables, and charts are in place; and (3) the final manuscript is satisfactory to the graduate committee and is ready for submission to the university library. ______________________ _______________________________________ Date David B. Paxman, Chair, Graduate Committee Accepted for the Department _______________________________________ Lance E. Larsen Graduate Coordinator Accepted for the College _______________________________________ David B. Paxman Associate Dean, College of Humanities ABSTRACT SATIRE’S LIMINAL SPACE: THE CONSERVATIVE FUNCTION OF EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SATIRIC DRAMA Sheila A. Morton Department of English Master of Arts The eighteenth century is famous for producing literary satire, primarily in verse (and later prose) form. However, during this period, a new dramatic form also arose of which satire was the controlling element. And like the writers of prose and verse satires, playwrights of dramatic satire claimed that their primary aim was the correction of moral faults and failings. Of course, they did not always succeed in this aim. History has shown a few, however, to have had a significant impact on the ideas and lives of their audiences. This thesis is an attempt to demonstrate how these satiric dramas achieved their reformative aims by tracing the theatrical experience of an eighteenth century audience through Victor Turner’s stages of liminality. Turner explains that by examining the different ways in which specific genres of theatre (1) create a performance space that is apart from, but still draws symbolically on, the outside world, (2) invite the participation of their audiences in that space, and (3) urge audiences to act in different ways as they leave the theatre space, we can see how such experiences impact the ideas and outlooks of audience members. Because satiric drama invited a high level of participation from audience members, because it invited them into a very “liminal” space, it frequently served to sway audience members’ tastes, and in some cases even helped to revolutionize social and literary institutions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis has been a long time in the making, and the fact that it was ever finished at all is due in large part to the following people. First, to Dave Paxman, Claudia Harris, and Gary Hatch, who did not give up on me even after going entire semesters without hearing a word, and who worked with me from nearly 2,000 miles away, emailing drafts back and forth and offering suggestions that were both helpful and kindly worded. To my parents, who called weekly to ask how it was going and who pestered me endlessly during all the holiday breaks that I spent with them, pushing me toward the computer and offering gentle reprimands when they caught me playing computer games when I should have been writing. To my sister Ruby, who highlighted every reference that I had used in the thesis and cross-checked them on my bibliography—that was a big job and I’m grateful for her help. And to all my friends and family— Sarah, Megan, Melissa, my brothers and sisters, and many others—who asked me persistently for four and a half years “is it done yet?” CONTENTS Acknowledgments..................................................................................vi Contents...............................................................................................vii Introduction .......................................................................................... 1 Liminality and Satiric Drama........................................................ 1 The Plays ..................................................................................... 7 The Beggar’s Opera............................................................. 8 The Tragedy of Tragedies .................................................. 10 Chrononhotonthologos ....................................................... 12 Phase One: Separation......................................................................... 15 Phase Two: Inversion ........................................................................... 31 The Beggar’s Opera .................................................................... 34 The Tragedy of Tragedies............................................................ 41 Chrononhotonthologos................................................................. 49 Phase Three: Reaggregation ................................................................. 58 Conclusion .......................................................................................... 71 Works Cited......................................................................................... 75 vii Morton 1 Chapter One Introduction: Liminality and Satiric Drama In “An Essay Upon Satire” written at the end of the seventeenth century, John Dryden explains the purpose of satire: Satire has always shone among the rest, And is the boldest way, if not the best, To tell men freely of their foulest faults; To laugh at their vain deeds, and vainer thoughts. (202) Dryden here articulates the poetic aims that characterized much of Restoration and eighteenth-century poetry and drama. Because of the rapid and revolutionary changes in politics, government, religion, sexual and marital mores, and a host of other societal structures—changes occasioned by the English civil war and the restoration of Charles II— English poets of the Restoration and eighteenth century found themselves in a sea of change, not all of it welcome. They frequently sought the stabilizing influence of literature, to do exactly as Dryden had said, to expose misdeeds and vanity and to correct them. Consequently, this period was a highpoint in English literary satire, and Dryden, Swift, and Pope were among its primary proponents. Some of the greatest examples of satire in English literary history are a product of this time period: MacFlecknoe, The Dunciad, The Rape of the Lock, and Gulliver’s Travels, among others. Morton 2 As can be seen from this list, however, most of the great literary satires of the Restoration and the first two decades of the eighteenth century were either in verse or prose form, although satire inarguably had its place in dramatic literature as well. This was seen primarily in the inclusion of satiric characters and specific satiric lines aimed at social institutions. Ursula Jantz points out in her book Targets of Satire in the Comedies of Etherege, Wycherley, and Congreve, that the comedies of the Restoration were full of pointed satiric jabs at marriage, religion, fashion, and politics. But satire had not been the controlling element in these plays. They had, rather, been comedies with elements of satire. Until the mid-1720s, most satires as such were still in verse or prose form. Except for the occasional elements of satire in some of the comedies, satire had not really been adapted for the stage. With the production of John Gay’s Beggar’s Opera in 1728, however, satire found a home in London’s theaters. Theater audiences, which were increasingly moving away from regular five act comedies and tragedies, readily welcomed the new, experimental dramas. Satiric comedies were soon vying with more traditional theatrical forms for audiences and were usually winning. Most of the prominent playwrights of the period tried their hand at the new genre, and some, such as Henry Fielding, wrote dramatic satires almost exclusively. In fact, according to David W. Lindsay, all of the Morton 3 most significant works published between 1728 and 1737 (when dramatic satire was largely squelched by Robert Walpole’s Licensing Act) were

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