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Stage Devilry: Knowledge, Pleasure, and Antitheatricality on the Eighteenth-Century English Stage

Abstract:This essay discusses the figure of the devil in eighteenth-century theatrical works, focusing on two pantomimes based on the Faust legend: John Thurmond's Harlequin Doctor Faustus; with the Grand Masque of the Heathen Deities and John Rich's The Necromancer; or, Harlequin Doctor Faustus. Both pantomimes premiered in 1723 and were among the most successful theatrical works of the century. The devils that appear in these pantomimes embody the fears of antitheatrical discourse, which emphasized the pernicious effects of theatergoers' pleasure-seeking. This essay argues that stage devils serve as a self-reflexive mechanism by which theatrical texts stage the act of seeking theatrical pleasure and, thereby, engage with criticisms of the genre's moral and epistemological possibilities.