Nicholas Rowe was the first Poet Laureate of the Georgian era. A fascinating and important yet largely overlooked figure in eighteenth-century literature, he is the ‘lost Augustan’. His plays are important both for the way they address the political and social concerns of the day and for reflecting a period in which the theatre was in crisis. This edition sets out to demonstrate Rowe’s mastery of the early eighteenth century theatre, especially his providing significant roles for women, and examines the political and historical stances of his plays. It also highlights his work as a translator, which was both innovative and deeply in tune with current practices as exemplified by John Dryden and Alexander Pope. This is the first scholarly edition of all Rowe’s plays and poems and is accompanied by 15 musical scores and 31 black and white illustrations.
The first three volumes arrange his plays chronologically with the first volume presenting the early plays, The Ambitious Step-Mother, Tamerlane, and The Fair Penitent; the second volume the middle plays, The Biter, Ulysses, and The Royal Convert; and the third volume his late period plays, The Tragedy of Jane Shore and The Tragedy of the Lady Jane Grey. The subsequent volumes cover his translation of Lucan’s Pharsalia, described by Samuel Johnson as one of the greatest productions in English poetry, and his own original poetry — which was often composed for specific occasions. Each volume contains a newly written explanatory introduction which precedes the full edited text. Appendices covering dedications, prologues and epilogues, performance history, the related music and textual apparatus are also included. The edition comes with a consolidated bibliography for ease of reference.
Volume I: The Early Plays
Acknowledgements
List of illustrations
General introduction by Stephen Bernard and Michael Caines
Nicholas Rowe: A Chronology by Stephen Bernard and Michael Caines
A note on the editorial policy for the edition by Stephen Bernard
Introduction to The Ambitious Step-mother, Tamerlane, and The Fair Penitent by Rebecca Bullard and John McTague
Publication history and textual note to The Ambitious Step-mother, Tamerlane, and The Fair Penitent
The Ambitious Step-Mother edited by Rebecca Bullard
Tamerlane edited by John McTague
The Fair Penitent edited by Rebecca Bullard
Appendix A: Dedication to Edward, 7th Earl of Warwick and 4th Earl of Holland (1714) edited by John McTague
Appendix B: Sir Samuel Garth’s prologue to Tamerlane edited by John McTague
Appendix C: The performance history of the early plays by Rebecca Bullard and John McTague
Appendix D: A note on the music to Rowe’s plays; the music to Tamerlane and The Fair Penitent edited by Joe Lockwood
Textual apparatus of the early period plays by Rebecca Bullard and John McTague
Volume II: The Middle Period Plays
Introduction to The Biter, Ulysses, and The Royal Convert by Michael Caines
Publication history and textual note to The Biter, Ulysses, and The Royal Convert by Michael Caines
The Biter edited by Michael Caines
Ulysses edited by Michael Caines
The Royal Convert edited by Michael Caines
Appendix A: the performance history of the middle period plays by Michael Caines
Appendix B: music to The Biter by Joe Lockwood
Textual apparatus of the middle period plays by Michael Caines
Volume III: The Late Plays
Introduction to The Tragedy of Jane Shore and The Tragedy of the Lady Jane Grey by Claudine van Hensbergen
Publication history and textual note to The Tragedy of Jane Shore and The Tragedy of the Lady Jane Grey by Claudine van Hensbergen
The Tragedy of Jane Shore edited by Claudine van Hensbergen
The Tragedy of the Lady Jane Grey edited by Claudine van Hensbergen
Appendix A: Curll’s additions to The Tragedy Jane Shore by Claudine van Hensbergen
Appendix B: epilogues to The Tragedy Jane Shore by Claudine van Hensbergen
Appendix C: the performance history of the late period plays by Claudine van Hensbergen
Appendix D: music to the late plays by Joe Lockwood
Textual apparatus of the late period plays by Claudine van Hensbergen
Volume IV: Poems and Lucan’s Pharsalia (Books I-III)
Introduction to Rowe’s poems by Stephen Bernard
Poems edited by Stephen Bernard with The Golden Verses of Pythagoras edited by Scott Scullion
Appendix: the music of Rowe’s poetry by Joe Lockwood
Textual apparatus of Rowe’s poems by Stephen Bernard
Introduction to Lucan’s Pharsalia by Robin Sowerby
‘The Dedication’ by Anne Rowe and ‘The Preface Giving Some Account of Lucan and His Works, and of Mr. Rowe’ by James Welwood edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book I edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book II edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book III edited by Robin Sowerby
Volume V: Lucan’s Pharsalia (Books IV-X)
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book IV edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book V edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book VI edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book VII edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book VIII edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book IX edited by Robin Sowerby
Lucan’s Pharsalia, Book X edited by Robin Sowerby
Textual apparatus of Lucan’s Pharsalia by Robin Sowerby
Bibliography
Biography
Stephen Bernard
"[T]he quality of the editorial work is uniformly excellent. The edition also includes a range of appendices containing a wealth of supplementary material including performance listings, prologues and epilogues, and, notably, all extant vocal music for Rowe’s dramas. The scores, beautifully edited by Joe Lockwood, are a significant contribution to our understanding of Rowe’s plays as the importance of music in Restoration and early eighteenth-century drama is often overlooked."
"...the very real contribution of this edition… illuminates Rowe’s literary career and, for the first time, establishes a scholarly text of his works."
- Jean L. Marsden, Review of English Studies
