1735

= The Year 1735 in Newspaper and Theater =

=//The Daily Gazetteer// (June 30, 1735 – April 15, 1748): =  ====//The Daily Gazetteer// commenced publication on June 30, 1735. As evident by its title, the paper was released daily in London until the end of its run on April 15, 1748. It claimed to advocate for the general public, offering itself “to the Good-Will of the Reader” by employing writers who “have at length resolved…to publish their faithful Endeavours in Support of the general Interest” (“Cover”). //The Daily Gazetteer// sought to drum up the support of the general public, seeing as the author of the introduction, Fra. Walsingham, wrote that the “present situation of Europe in general, and of this Kingdom in particular, must awaken every Friend of Mankind, and call upon Him to think for the Publick” (“Cover”). The state of the government is a recurring theme of concern throughout the paper in 1735, with the authors insisting that it is ====

====//to the Sense of the people that we must appeal, to their Interests, their Oaths, and their Conscience, as they are Free…for the full Support of this Government, against the Ambition of those who…employ their Hands to overthrow that Establishment which in their Hearts they approve// (“Cover”). ====

====As a result, the authors of the publication printed in each issue articles and letters concerning the state of the British government in international affairs. ====

====//The Daily Gazetteer// seemed to follow a consistent format, relaying information about the London news, arts and entertainment, and advertisements. Every issue of the paper in 1735 contained what one might compare to letters to the editor, entitled “letters to the printer,” which addressed topics from politics to theater. A recurring topic of these letters was D’Anvers (presumably Caleb), issuer of //The Craftsman//, an early eighteenth century periodical. On September 12, 1735, one disgruntled reader wrote to //The Daily Gazetteer// to defend the “Reputation of a certain Honourable Gentleman, whom the Craftsman and his Allies have so injuriously defamed” (“News”). Similarly, and more sinisterly, a reader on September 8th insisted that “Squire D’Anvers is very sensible he cannot take too many Precautions to keep as much Incog. as possible” (“News”). In fact, //The Daily Gazetteer// published multiple articles in response to //The Craftsman// in September 1735, likely due to the fact that D’Anvers aimed his articles towards the overthrow of the government for which the authors of //The Daily Gazetteer// sought support. ====

====//The Daily Gazetteer// also included an advertisement section which conveyed the titles, descriptions, and prices of new literary releases. These pieces ranged from critical papers to poems. The September 8th issue advertised the third edition of //The Method of Learning to Draw in Perspective, made easy and fully explain’d// for one shilling (“News”). Several days later, the paper advertised //A Hymn to the Pope// for six-pence (“News”). The advertisements generally centered on politics and religion, topics of concern for the authors of the paper. ====

 ====The paper also devoted large sections to printing letters from businessmen and traders. These letters contained information and opinions about trade and commerce, war, foreign affairs, and British imperialism as a whole. Some letters came from Flanders, France, and Persia, while others, for example, “arrived the Mail due from Holland” about the “sudden Death of the Duke of Brunswick Wolfembuttle” (“News”). The letters appeared to be a centerpiece of the daily prints, appearing on the front page and consuming a large portion of the paper. The authors could fulfill their previously-stated intentions by keeping their readers up-to-date with political agendas and rallying support for the British government. The letters, if not speaking positively about the British government, generally seemed to speak dispassionately about other European or Middle Eastern customs. ====

====Lastly, the paper published information about public deaths and family histories, as well as marriages and personal bankruptcies. The paper’s preoccupation with money and the gentry reflects the eighteenth century importance of finance and institutional relationships. ====

====As a whole, some common themes of the paper of 1735 were defamation to royalty and the king, law, and reason. On October 6, 1735, a writer to the paper spoke against “vile Arts,” falsehood, and scandal (“News”). As discussed in class, there seemed to be an overwhelming concern with the degradation of law and morality. As such, the authors included pieces in the paper, like the letters of loyal followers, which would speak to the reformation of character and government. ====

=The 1734-1735 & 1735-1736 Theater Seasons: =  ====Despite the paper’s political agenda, it presented at times information about the theater. The most popular theaters of 1735 were Drury Lane, Convent Garden, Goodman’s Fields, and Haymarket (The London Stage). During the theater seasons, winter performances began at 6 o’clock, while those in May began at 7 o’clock (The London Stage). At these times, interested readers could gain theatrical information from //The London Daily Post and General Advertiser//. Some of the most popular plays of the season included an adaptation of Aphra Behn’s //Oroonoko//, Congreve’s //The Way of the World//, Fletcher’s //The Royal Merchant//, Gay’s //The Beggar’s Opera//, and Molière’s //The Miser//. The theater saw various reproductions of the works of Shakespeare, including //King Lear, Othello, The Tempest, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Henry IV Pt. I// and //Pt. II//, and //Macbeth//. Additionally, each month, the King’s Theatre performed a different play, from //Artaxerxes// to //Polifemo// or //Iphigenia in Aulis//. However, in August 1735, in lieu of a performance, a “Royal Bounty of £1,000 went to the Opera of the Nobility” (The London Stage). As the titles reveal, the plays performed by the King’s Theatre in the 1735 season were rooted in Eastern history and Greek mythology, perhaps suggesting a renewed interest in heroic tales after an era of sentimental comedies. The plays might also suggest a restoration to Greek and Roman governmental ideologies and an increasing interest in societies past. ====

=Elizabeth Cooper’s //The Rival Widows; or, Fair Libertine// (1735): = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> ====<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The 1735 theater season in London also saw the opening of Elizabeth Cooper’s //The Rival Widows; or, Fair Libertine// (Cooper). The play follows the widow Lady Bellair as she teeters between the advances of Modern, a characteristic libertine, and Freelove, a seeming modern gentleman. As some scholars argue, the play caricaturizes the tensions between Restoration libertinism and post-Restoration sentimentalism, as Bellair strays from the typical sexual uncontrollability of Restoration comedy (Pearson); but even some charactonyms prove true with promiscuous characters like Mrs. Lurcher. However, in the end, Bellair marries Freelove and their threatened inheritances are reinstated. Cooper seems to support a sentimental reformation and a return to moral standards in the theater, especially for women. In fact, Cooper’s play was one of many in 1735 that dealt with the standards of marriage. Others included //The Mother-in-Law, Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, The Country Wife, The Conscious Lovers,// and //Love’s Last Shift//. The play reflects a recurring topic of discussion in class, which is the supposed redirection of theater towards sentimentalism versus libertinism and personal freedom. While earlier plays like //The Country Wife// seem to support libertinism, //The Rival Widows// clearly degrades the social movement, which perhaps reflects Cooper’s status as a female writer. Her themes mirror those of fellow female playwright Aphra Behn who supports female personal freedom in the context of social codes and morality in //The Rover//. They also mirror those expressed in //The Daily Gazetteer// that call for greater public decency. ====

=<span style="color: #9492ff; font-family: Georgia,serif;">1735 in a Nutshell: =

====<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//The Daily Gazetteer// revealed in 1735 the social divide in England that continued to overflow into theater. The year seemed to see the ultimate tension between libertinism and sentimentalism, both inside and outside of the theater. While newspapers and their readers continued to disagree about the state of the government and the restoration of decency and lawfulness, playwrights similarly expressed a divide between old and new moral codes. Though the periodical devotes little space to literature and theater, its running themes are congruent to those of Cooper’s play and others, like //The Conscious Lovers//. The authors of both the newspaper and the play seem to emanate a fear of the consequences of a libertine society in which too much personal freedom will lead to chaos and lawlessness. ====

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Cooper, Mrs. (Elizabeth). //The rival widows: or, fair libertine. A comedy. As it is acted at the//
====<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">//Theatre-Royal, in Covent Garden. By Mrs. Cooper//. London, 1735. //Eighteenth Century Collections Online//. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. ====