Sluttishness, circulation, and promiscuity in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English theater

Sluttishness, Circulation, and Promiscuity in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century English Theater examines the concomitant types of circulation found in the theater of the late-seventeenth and early-eighteenth century in England. Included in these are financial, social, sexual, and textual circulations; this project explores the cultural forces that aided or prevented such circulation. In my studies, I have argued that all of these forms of circulation are present in the character of the slut. The slut is unique in her ability to comingle with different sexual partners, whether for financial or social gain, yet to maintain her independence in ways a prostitute might not. The slut captures interior and exterior dirtiness, carelessness for self and surroundings, and an ability to subvert expectations of what it means to be a woman. This figure—the slut—is the point of departure in my introduction: even as popular theater was invested in the slut and female professionalization, many authors used promiscuous circulation as a trope in their writing to probe the social and political potential of theatrical genres. Furthermore, I believe that the shift in the meaning of slut, the varieties of circulation, and the changing face of theater and in England are developing symbiotically. ❧ “Femme and Fortune: Circulation of Finance and Celebrity in Women’s Comedies” establishes the centrality of gender to popular theatricals. This chapter shows how female playwrights negotiated the increasing ability for women to earn a living without a man’s support. As other scholars have noted, early actresses instigated movements towards women’s professionalization: in its impact on society, professionalization for women was arguably progressive and/or transgressive, as were the professional women themselves. In this chapter, I analyze the transgressive potential of characters who concern themselves with the circulation of fortunes. ❧ In “Ballads, Bawdry, and Bodies: The Circulations of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera,” I add to my argument on theatrical circulation by analyzing what was one of the most popular plays of the eighteenth century. Gay’s character Polly is an ideal case study because she circulates through popular culture of the day in a variety of genres. Furthermore, her fellow characters repeatedly label her a slut, and her popular circulation proves that she is sluttish in more than one way. ❧ Finally, “Popularity, Social Circulation, and Satire in Henry Fielding’s The Author’s Farce and The Pleasures of the Town” examines the changing face of theatrical social networks and interpersonal circulations in the London theater community. I close with a brief coda and conclusion that gestures towards the rising popularity and circulations of the novel from the mid-eighteenth century onward. ❧ My analysis of the theater contributes to important socio-political trends that have appeared in scholarship about plays from the late-seventeenth and early- eighteenth century. Going to see plays was wildly popular in this time period, and commonly held beliefs about the theater at the time seem to indicate an indivisible link between the theater and modes of circulation.