Six Gothic Dramas (De Monfort, Orra, The Dream, The Family Legend, The Phantom, Witchcraft) (Valancourt Classics) [Paperback]

Joanna Baillie (Author), Christine A. Colon (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Valancourt Classics | Publication Date: January 5, 2007

A melancholy nobleman, consumed with hatred, commits a brutal murder. A beautiful woman is imprisoned by her abusive guardian in a haunted castle, driving her mad. A prophetic dream leads a group of monks to a buried corpse and leads to justice for the murderer. A family feud drives a clan to strand a rival on a rock to be drowned by the rising tide. A joyful wedding turns sinister when a ghost appears to reveal the tragic secret of her death. A group of women, condemned as witches, are doomed to be burnt at the stake.

These are the plots of the six plays in this collection by Scottish dramatist Joanna Baillie. Baillie (1762-1851) was regarded by many in her day as the greatest female English-language poet, and second as a dramatist only to Shakespeare. Recently rediscovered by scholars after nearly a century and a half of neglect, Baillie is now recognised as one of the finest of Romantic-era playwrights. This new edition features the complete text of six of her best plays, four of them reprinted here for the first time since 1851. Also included is a new introduction by Christine Colon, discussing Baillie's life and works, and arguing that Baillie used the Gothic in innovative ways in her drama in order to explore controversial issues such as changing definitions of masculinity and femininity, shifting political alliances, and evolving ideas of Christianity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Valancourt Books; 1 edition (January 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979233208
• ISBN-13: 978-0979233203
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do not overlook this writer!, November 30, 2007

By 

Adam Dodds "A broken puppet" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Gothic Dramas (De Monfort, Orra, The Dream, The Family Legend, The Phantom, Witchcraft) (Valancourt Classics) (Paperback)

It is a crying shame that Joanna Baillie's Early-Nineteenth-Century audience paid her (an unmarried woman playwright and poet) far more acknowledgement than posterity has done. Apparently, Baillie has become the hot ticket in Women's Studies courses and panel discussions. It's not sufficient, though, that academia contentedly praises her genius amongst its own and does precious little to advance her status to those of us out here in the thicker middle. To yokels like me who had to stumble upon Baillie by accident, a tip: if you want to read Romantic drama with more iconoclasty than Percy Shelley, more balls than Byron, and more psychosis perhaps than even Hamlet has to offer, READ BAILLIE. This work is not simply "Women's Studies" fare or "Early English Drama" to collect dust--it is timeless literature with possibly more relevance today than when it was written. Thanks to Dr. Colon for helping to make this gem of literature accessible to us!