Joanna Baillie: The Theory in Her Plays on the Passions and an Analysis of Four Dramas Within that Series

Abstract

This thesis examines the theatre theory as outlined by Joanna Baillie in the Introductory Discourse to her Series of Plays in Which it is Attempted to Delineate the Stronger Passions of the Mind: Each Passion Being the Subject of a Tragedy and a Comedy (the Plays on the Passions). It has become common among theatrical and literary scholars to condemn Baillie's work as either a dramatic failure or a literary oddity. Although attempts have been made to rehabilitate Baillie's reputation, most of the work has been done from the feminist perspective and Baillie's Plays on the Passions project continues to be perceived as a failure. Using contemporary reviews, modern analysis, and Baillie's theory, this thesis analyzes four of Baillie's plays from her Plays on the Passions series to determine how well they adhere to Baillie's theory. Using the findings of that analysis, this thesis analyzes Baillie's work according to the context she establishes for herself in her Introductory Discourse.