Susannah Centlivre, The Basset Table

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Although it only ran for four nights and was never revived, Susanna Centlivre's sixth play,

The Basset Table

(1705), is, theatrically speaking, a good play, with a well-constructed plot, captivatingly mimetic language, and a gallery of lively contemporary humours. Some of the issues it deals with came increasingly to the fore in later years, such as the question of women's role when outside the “Lady's Province”. It was probably the work of a highly motivated author who contravened some of her established practices in writing it and felt it necessary to write a second play on apparently the same topic as her earlier play of the same year,

The Gamester

. As in

The Gamester

the theme of the necessary reform of the gambler is proposed, but it is dealt with in an entirely original way and,…

1880 words

Citation: Carraro, Laura Favero. "The Basset Table". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 30 June 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9997, accessed 19 March 2024.]

9997 The Basset Table 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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