The Life and Works of George Colman the Elder

Abstract

An attempt has been made in this thesis to present a fully documented Life of Colman, based on examination of all the available material in the form of contemporary accounts, pamphlets and letters. This biography is accompanied by a short account of Colman's literary work other than play-writing, namely his essays in The Connoisseur and later periodicals, and his translations from Terence and Horace$ and by a detailed critical study of his plays, a special effort being made to estimate his indebtedness to earlier English and Continental writers. An attempt is made to ascertain the respective shares of Colman and Garrick in their joint work, The Clandestine Marriage. from the evidence afforded by their letters and by notes found among Colman's papers. A further examination is made of Colman's re-working of earlier plays for representation in his theatres; his versions are compared with the originals and with other adaptations for the eighteenth century stage. Some account, necessarily incomplete, is given of the theatrical history of his plays, and of contemporary and later criticism, drawn from newspapers, magazines and stage histories. His influence as theatrical manager and playwright, particularly the latter, is considered, especially with regard to his opposition to sentimentalism and his support of true comedy, and an attempt is made to indicate his position and the value of his contribution to British drama. An appendix contains a full bibliography of his works, of which no bibliographical account appears hitherto to have been given; a second appendix reproduces the text of the unprinted pantomime, The Genius of Nonsense, from the unique manuscript in the possession of the Henry E. Huntington Library