Book description
Sex, fame and scandal in the theatrical, literary and social circles of
late 18th-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.
'Enthralling and perceptive…A fine biographer has conjured up a dazzling
personality and brought her, laughing, back to life.' Sunday Times
'Mary Robinson, scandalous darling of the 18th-century stage and
letters, is given a welcome rebirth. A full-scale literary biography…a
fitting tribute to her.' Observer
'Robinson's is a life that bears the retelling. She cuts a figure in
the history of celebrity culture and in literary history. Paula Byrne's
full-scale biography is cholarly, lively and important.' Daily Telegraph
'…a superbly researched and narrated life of a woman whose capacity for
self-transformation, when combined with beauty, talent, wit and passion
suggest that she may be the most interesting of all.' Miranda Seymour,
Sunday Times
Praise for 'Jane Austen and the Theatre':
'This scholarly, perceptive book leaves you wanting more from the same
author.' Loraine Fletcher, Independent 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.
