Calvert, Dave (2013) ‘Royal Pierrots’ and ‘White Coons’: the British Pierrot Troupe in the Racial and National Imaginary. New Theatre Quarterly, 29 (2). pp. 107-120. ISSN 0266-464X
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Abstract
The Pierrot tradition, invented towards the end of the nineteenth century, established a prevalent but now largely forgotten mode of performance around the coastal resorts of Britain. In this article, Dave Calvert considers the relevance of this form in its historical context. Arguing that it observes the preservation of anachronism consistent with notions of invented traditions, he situates the Pierrot tradition within a symbolic network concerned with national identity and experience. This includes its declared links to the construction of royalty as the head of the imperial family, and both its schism and continuity with the tradition of blackface minstrelsy whose conventions it maintains. Its location at the seaside accentuates this network of relations and elevates it to a transcendental plane of the imaginary untroubled by the complexities of modern life.
Item Type: | Article |
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Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure M Music and Books on Music > M Music |
Schools: | School of Music, Humanities and Media School of Music, Humanities and Media > Drama Research Group |
Related URLs: | |
Depositing User: | David Calvert |
Date Deposited: | 08 May 2013 16:32 |
Last Modified: | 28 Aug 2021 20:01 |
URI: | http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17410 |
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