Susannah Centlivre, A Bold Stroke for a Wife

Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Ed. by Nicholas Seager, University of Keele
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1718

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Play

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The romantic comedy

A Bold Stroke for a Wife

(1718) is the eighteenth and penultimate play written by the prolific and successful dramatist Susanna Centlivre (1669–1723). It was first performed at Lincoln’s Inn Theatre on 3 February 1718 and ran for a respectable six performances, which brought Centlivre two third-night benefits. Along with

The Busy Body

(1709) and

The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret!

(1714),

A Bold Stroke for a Wife

is among a cluster of Centlivre’s plays that enjoyed an enduring reputation and performance and publication history throughout the eighteenth century. According to Bowyer, it “was acted in London more than eighty times before 1750 and nearly a hundred and fifty times between 1750 and 1800” (216). In the 1740s, John Mottley claimed to have assisted in…

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1938 words

Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "A Bold Stroke for a Wife". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 October 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7267, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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Susannah Centlivre, A Bold Stroke for a Wife

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