Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson

Author: Paula Byrne
Publisher: HarperPerennial
Category: Biography: General, Literary Studies: C 1500 To C 1800, Literary Studies: Poetry & Poets
Book Format: Paperback

Sex, fame and scandal in the theatrical, literary and social circles of late-eighteenth century England. One of the most flamboyant women of the late-eighteenth century, Mary Robinson's life was marked by reversals of fortune. After being raised by a middle-class father, Mary was married, at age fourteen, to Thomas Robinson. His dissipated lifestyle landed the couple and their baby in debtors' prison, where Mary wrote her first book of poetry and met lifelong friend Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. On her release, Mary quickly became one of the most popular actresses of the day, famously playing Perdita in The Winter's Tale for a rapt audience that included the Prince of Wales, who fell madly in love with her. She later used his copious love letters for blackmail. This authoritative and engaging book presents a fascinating portrait of a woman who was variously darling of the London stage, a poet whose work was admired by Coleridge and a mistress to the most powerful men in England, and yet whose fortunes were nevertheless precarious, always on the brink of being squandered through recklessness, excess and passion.

About Paula Byrne
Paula Byrne was born in Birkenhead and has a PhD from the University of Liverpool, where she is a Research Fellow in English Literature. Her first book, 'Jane Austen and the Theatre', was short-listed for the Theatre Book Prize. A regular contributor to the 'Times Literary Supplement', she lives in Warwickshire with her two young children and her husband, the critic and biographer Jonathan Bate.

(BK-9780007164592)

SKU BK-9780007164592
Barcode # 9780007164592
Brand HarperPerennial
Artist / Author Paula Byrne
Shipping Weight 0.3600kg
Shipping Width 0.130m
Shipping Height 0.030m
Shipping Length 0.200m
Assembled Length 19.800m
Assembled Height 3.100m
Assembled Width 12.900m
Type Paperback

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