John Gay, Bertolt Brecht, and urbanized opera

Peter Merchant

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-62592-8_269-1

John Gay, Bertolt Brecht, and urbanized opera

Peter Merchant

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

Both the design and the detail of John Gay’s play The Beggar’s Opera (1728) serve to situate it solidly in Georgian London. A new urban sensibility permeates the work, and a means of treating “low” subject-matter is found that would blaze a trail for later writers. In particular, The Beggar’s Opera sows the seeds of its spectacular twentieth-century remaking by Bertolt Brecht. Brecht’s play responds to city culture as fully and as unflinchingly as Gay’s did.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban Literary Studies Living Edition
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62592-8_269-1
Publication status	Published - 17 Nov 2020

Keywords

Adaptation
Artistic collaboration
Bathos and parodic contrast
Street ballads
Urban imaginaries
Urbanized opera

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-319-62592-8_269-1

Cite this

@inbook{5cbc36a207de417191db055d7a879ea5,

title = "John Gay, Bertolt Brecht, and urbanized opera",

abstract = "Both the design and the detail of John Gay{\textquoteright}s play The Beggar{\textquoteright}s Opera (1728) serve to situate it solidly in Georgian London. A new urban sensibility permeates the work, and a means of treating “low” subject-matter is found that would blaze a trail for later writers. In particular, The Beggar{\textquoteright}s Opera sows the seeds of its spectacular twentieth-century remaking by Bertolt Brecht. Brecht{\textquoteright}s play responds to city culture as fully and as unflinchingly as Gay{\textquoteright}s did.",

keywords = "Adaptation, Artistic collaboration, Bathos and parodic contrast, Street ballads, Urban imaginaries, Urbanized opera",

author = "Peter Merchant",

year = "2020",

month = nov,

day = "17",

doi = "10.1007/978-3-319-62592-8\_269-1",

language = "English",

isbn = "9783319625928",

booktitle = "Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban Literary Studies Living Edition",

}

TY - CHAP

T1 - John Gay, Bertolt Brecht, and urbanized opera

AU - Merchant, Peter

PY - 2020/11/17

Y1 - 2020/11/17

N2 - Both the design and the detail of John Gay’s play The Beggar’s Opera (1728) serve to situate it solidly in Georgian London. A new urban sensibility permeates the work, and a means of treating “low” subject-matter is found that would blaze a trail for later writers. In particular, The Beggar’s Opera sows the seeds of its spectacular twentieth-century remaking by Bertolt Brecht. Brecht’s play responds to city culture as fully and as unflinchingly as Gay’s did.

AB - Both the design and the detail of John Gay’s play The Beggar’s Opera (1728) serve to situate it solidly in Georgian London. A new urban sensibility permeates the work, and a means of treating “low” subject-matter is found that would blaze a trail for later writers. In particular, The Beggar’s Opera sows the seeds of its spectacular twentieth-century remaking by Bertolt Brecht. Brecht’s play responds to city culture as fully and as unflinchingly as Gay’s did.

KW - Adaptation

KW - Artistic collaboration

KW - Bathos and parodic contrast

KW - Street ballads

KW - Urban imaginaries

KW - Urbanized opera

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-62592-8_269-1

DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-62592-8_269-1

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9783319625928

BT - Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban Literary Studies Living Edition

ER -

John Gay, Bertolt Brecht, and urbanized opera

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this