Prieto Pablos, Juan Antonio, Maria Jose Mora, Manuel J. Gomez-Lara and Rafael Portillo, eds. 2000: Thomas Shadwell: Epsom Wells.(Resena de libro)

Publication: Atlantis, revista de la Asociación Espanola de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos

Publication Date: 01-JUN-02

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Spanish Association for Anglo-American Studies (AEDEAN)

Prieto Pablos, Juan Antonio, Maria Jose Mora, Manuel J. Gomez-Lara and Rafael Portillo, eds. 2000: Thomas Shadwell: Epsom Wells. Sevilla: Secretariado de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Sevilla. LXX + 177 pages. (1)

This is the second volume of a series started by The Virtuoso (Prieto Pablos, Juan Antonio; Maria Jose Mora, Manuel J. Gomez-Lara and Rafael Portillo 1997), and let us hope that new titles will be incorporated in the collection at a shorter pace, as this University of Seville initiative is really interesting and, I think, important for the promotion of Restoration studies in Spain.

The editors have selected an author--Thomas Shadwell (1642?-1692)--(2) and a period in the history of English theatre (1660-1700) that has been much neglected in literary historiography and is still considered as second rate in several academic circles. But I for one think it is an age that needs a thorough revision with modern eyes and methodologies as the Restoration had a group of playwrights and writers that calls for more attention. The relations between the scene and the innovative operatic musical layouts by Purcell and then, later, by Haendel, are still matter for some research, as one may find (with relative ease) materials on Drummond and Dryden, but modern scholarship on the period 1660-1700 is comparatively scarce.

The edition is well structured and it aims at a motley audience, although undergraduates are the most likely commercial target. But postgraduate students and scholars with an interest in Restoration theatre will also benefit from both the annotation of the text and the introductory study. This has some 41 pages (pages xvii to lxviii are...

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