Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson
Описание книги
Sex, fame and scandal in the theatrical, literary and social circles of late 18th-century England.One of the most flamboyant women of the late-eighteenth century, Mary Robinson’s life was marked by reversals of fortune. After being raised by a middle-class father, Mary was married, at age fourteen, to Thomas Robinson. His dissipated lifestyle landed the couple and their baby in debtors' prison, where Mary wrote her first book of poetry and met lifelong friend Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire.On her release, Mary quickly became one of the most popular actresses of the day, famously playing Perdita in ‘The Winter’s Tale’ for a rapt audience that included the Prince of Wales, who fell madly in love with her. She later used his copious love letters for blackmail.This authoritative and engaging book presents a fascinating portrait of a woman who was variously darling of the London stage, a poet whose work was admired by Coleridge and a mistress to the most powerful men in England, and yet whose fortunes were nevertheless precarious, always on the brink of being squandered through recklessness, excess and passion.
Оглавление
Paula Byrne. Perdita: The Life of Mary Robinson
Perdita
PAULA BYRNE
DEDICATION
EPIGRAPH
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1 ‘During a Tempestuous Night’
CHAPTER 2 A Young Lady’s Entrance into the World
CHAPTER 3 Wales
CHAPTER 4 Infidelity
CHAPTER 5 Debtors’ Prison
CHAPTER 6 Drury Lane
CHAPTER 7 A Woman in Demand
CHAPTER 8 Florizel and Perdita
CHAPTER 9 A Very Public Affair
CHAPTER 10 The Rivals
CHAPTER 11 Blackmail
CHAPTER 12 Perdita and Marie Antoinette
CHAPTER 13 A Meeting in the Studio
CHAPTER 14The Priestess of Taste
CHAPTER 15The Ride to Dover
CHAPTER 16 Politics
CHAPTER 17 Exile
CHAPTER 18 Laura Maria
CHAPTER 19 Opium
CHAPTER 20 Author
CHAPTER 21 Nobody
CHAPTER 22 Radical
CHAPTER 23 Feminist
CHAPTER 24 Lyrical Tales
CHAPTER 25 ‘A Small but Brilliant Circle’
P.S. Ideas, interviews & features … About the Author
About the Book
Read On
About the Author. Q and A with Paula Byrne
LIFE at a Glance
Top Ten Books
About the Book. Celebrity
Read On. Have You Read?
If You Loved This, You Might Like …
Find Out More
EPILOGUE
APPENDIX: The Mystery of Mrs Robinson’s Age
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NOTES
PRAISE
OTHER WORKS
COPYRIGHT
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER