Sentimentalism and the Stage: Reading and the American Identity in Royall Tyler’s The Contrast
JK Rogers
Abstract
With the emergence of the novel as a literary genre during the eighteenth century, a new dimension was added to theatrical performances. Thus, when looking at a play such as Royall Tyler’s The Contrast (1787), the act of reading contained therein becomes a discursive way in which the character of the American national identity becomes defined. A comparison of the popular British works used within Tyler’s play provides much of the contrast from which the play gets its name, and as such, helps to illustrate the early American struggle to separate from England after the American Revolution. An examination of the selected literature within Tyler’s play reveals a unique perspective on the development of the American National Identity. Additionally, the epistemological nature of how these works were included on the stage provides a concrete representation of the contrast between the newly-formed ideologies of early America and those of Europe and England.
With the emergence of the novel as a literary genre during the eighteenth century, a new dimension was added to theatrical performances. Thus, when looking at a play such as Royall Tyler’s The Contrast (1787), the act of reading contained therein becomes a discursive way in which the character of the American national identity becomes defined. A comparison of the popular British works used within Tyler’s play provides much of the contrast from which the play gets its name, and as such, helps to illustrate the early American struggle to separate from England after the American Revolution. An examination of the selected literature within Tyler’s play reveals a unique perspective on the development of the American National Identity. Additionally, the epistemological nature of how these works were included on the stage provides a concrete representation of the contrast between the newly-formed ideologies of early America and those of Europe and England.
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