Southerne, Thomas - Robert D. Hume (essay date February 1990)
Robert D. Hume (essay date February 1990)
SOURCE: Hume, Robert D. “The Importance of Thomas Southerne.” Modern Philology 87, no. 3 (February 1990): 270-90.
[In the following essay, Hume reviews a 1988 edition of Southerne's collected works and argues that Southerne deserves greater acclaim as one of the finest dramatists of his time.]
The appearance of a thousand-page “standard” edition of the Works1 of Thomas Southerne is cause for rejoicing among a few specialists, but probably leaves most others wondering, “And who the deuce may he be?” Thomas Southerne (1660-1746) was a friend and protegé of Dryden's; an early sponsor and longtime friend of Congreve's; and author of ten plays, two of which remained repertory staples for decades. But this capsule description begs the real question: why does Southerne deserve such an edition? For some two hundred years after his death he was almost totally...
[The entire page is 9794 words long]
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