Restoration Comedy, 1683-1694: A Catalogue (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781934844199)

Restoration Comedy, 1683-1694: A Catalogue is an authoritative reference work that documents and analyzes a crucial decade in the evolution of English Restoration theater. Coordinated by Juan A. Prieto-Pablos and María José Mora, with contributions from leading scholars of seventeenth-century drama, the volume systematically catalogs the plays, playwrights, performances, and theatrical conventions that defined the late Restoration period. It combines bibliographical precision with interpretive commentary, offering an exhaustive overview of comedies produced between 1683 and 1694-an era marked by both artistic innovation and political transition.

Organized thematically and supported by detailed appendices, the catalogue covers every aspect of the theatrical process: title pages, performance records, publication history, prefatory materials, dramatic structures, genre classifications, character typologies, stage directions, and musical elements. Each section draws upon extensive archival research and textual analysis to reveal the intricate networks connecting playwrights like Congreve, Behn, Shadwell, and Southerne to London's playhouses and audiences. The inclusion of a comprehensive corpus of fifty-eight comedies-both canonical and obscure-makes this work indispensable for scholars of English drama, literary history, and performance studies.

More than a compilation of data, Restoration Comedy, 1683-1694: A Catalogue illuminates how the Restoration stage served as a mirror of its social and political environment. Through careful documentation and contextualization, the editors demonstrate how late-seventeenth-century comedy blended satire, wit, and moral commentary, bridging the libertine ethos of earlier Restoration drama with the more moralized sensibility of the eighteenth century. The result is a richly detailed scholarly resource that redefines our understanding of English comedic traditions.