Product Description

A biography of Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the writer of "The School for Scandal" and "The Rivals". The text argues that Sheridan's Irishness was a crucial factor in his drive for English literary and political success.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #523597 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 516 pages

Customer Reviews

Recovering history and celebrating treason
Sheridan is remembered today as one of the most brilliant dramatists of the 18th century. What Fintan O'Toole does with this book, while not ignoring Sheridan's considerable literary achievments, is show that there was more to the man than the playwright. In fact Sheridan was one of the most democratic politicians of his day, a political visionary in both Irish and British politics. His reputation as a artist, cemented, almost literally, by his burial in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey, was privileged in order to obscure his much more dangerous treasonous (to Britain) and patriotic (to Ireland) political views lest they encourage others.

The book, beautifully written as is typical of O'Toole, has the pace of a political thriller set against the background of the French Revolution, the United Irish rebellion of 1798 and machinations of Westminster at the time. It achieves the remarkable feat of showing the modern relevance of someone from 200 years ago who history has chosen to ignore in favour of much more imperial figures.

Great stuff!