| Productions of Gothic dramas in the United States were extremely popular between 1790 and 1830, yet they have received scant attention from scholars. This study examines the brief forty year history of these plays on the American stage by using various historical perspectives. The study first looks at the moral attitudes present in the United States at the time in which the drama grew. Next it presents the patterns of productions of the plays in the four major theatrical centers: Philadelphia, New York, Charleston, and Boston, and identifies the most popular plays in those cities over time to reveal possible implications about the audiences in each city. The study then examines the plays themselves and identifies types of repeated characters that haunt the dramas and uses these characters to conjecture about the composition of the audience. In addition, the study explores the staging of these plays over time to suggest changes in the audiences. To further illuminate audiences, the study examines adaptations of British Gothic drama, a procedure that gives some idea about the American attitudes towards morality, nationalism, and gender, as opposed to those of the British. Finally, the study scrutinizes the critical reception of Gothic dramas in America.;The study concludes that the Gothic dramas embodied the accepted values in American society between 1790 and 1830. The dramas reaffirmed the power of older males in society and revealed the relative powerlessness of females. Moreover, the Gothic dramas served as moral models for youth. The study also concludes that American adaptations of these plays were more nationalistic and egalitarian than were the British models. Furthermore, they were much more rigid in their guidelines for acceptable social behavior, particularly for women. Finally, the study concludes that critics in America between 1790 and 1830 had little detectable impact on the audiences' attendance at Gothic plays. |
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