The work came early in Fielding’s career, but he had already set his foot on the ladder to widespread recognition with six plays in three years. Most noteworthy of these were The Author’s Farce and Tom Thumb, both originating in 1730, and both staged at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket. This was a venue and a company which encouraged their irregular use of burlesque and reflexive devices, such as interpolated songs and puppet shows. Both showed their allegiance to recent satiric modes by attributing the work to “Scriblerus Secundus”. In this respect, they were followed by The Grub-Street Opera, whose three incarnations date from 1731.
In its final form, the Opera has earned the admiration of modern critics. Edgar V. Roberts calls it “the most audacious, ambitious, and tuneful of Fielding’s nine extant ballad...
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Citation: Rogers, Pat. "The Grub-Street Opera". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 August 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=688, accessed 09 June 2026.]
