Thomas Otway, The Atheist

Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College)

Ed. by Jennifer Brady, Rhodes College
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1683

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

Resources

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First Performance and Publication

Thomas Otway’s final play, The Atheist: or, The Second Part of the Souldier’s Fortune, was staged by the newly-formed United Company in July, 1683. As its subtitle suggests, Otway hoped in this sequel to capitalize on the success of his earlier comedy, The Souldier’s Fortune, first performed in 1680 by the Duke of York’s Theatre. The Atheist was one of the few new plays of substance produced in the mid-1680s by the struggling United Company, which continued to have financial troubles despite its monopoly on London professional theatre. The Atheist was dedicated to Lord Elande, the Marquis of Halifax’s eldest son, in 1684. Its dedicatory epistle reveals Otway’s well-established penchant for sabotaging his own interests. He refuses to “pretend

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2023 words

Citation: Brady, Jennifer. "The Atheist". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1553, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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