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The Circus and Victorian Society
by Brenda Assael |
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ISBN Number:
0-8139-2340-9
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 256
Publication Date: 2005
Publisher:
University of Virginia Press |
It was
during the Victorian era that the circus, whose origins lay in the
fairground world, emerged as a commercialized entertainment that we
would recognize today. This development was intricately tied to a
widespread demand for circus acts by a broad range of classes. In
'The Circus and Victorian Society', Brenda Assael examines this
interest in the circus as an artistic form within the context of a
vibrant, and sometimes not so respectable, consumer market. In doing
so, she provides not only the first scholarly history of the
Victorian circus, but also contributes to recent debates about the
role of popular culture. The Victorian circus ring was a showcase
for equestrian battle scenes, Chinese jugglers, clowns, female
acrobats, and child performers. Although such acts exhibited
wondrous qualities, unabashed displays of physical power, and
occasionally subversive humour, Assael reveals how they were also
rendered as grotesque, lewd, or dangerous.
The consuming public’s desire to see the very kinds of displays that
reformers wished to regulate put the circus establishment in a
difficult position. Wishing to create a respectable reputation for
itself while also functioning as a profitable business, the industry
was engaged in a struggle that required the appeasement of both the
regulator and the consumer. This conflict not only informs us of the
complicated role that the circus played in Victorian society but
also provides a unique view into a collective psyche fraught by
contradiction and anxiety.
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