Charlotte Cushman and her circle of female spectators
- Categories
- Book/Boek
- Creator
- Merrill, Lisa
- Publish Year
- 1999
- Shelfmark
- VS 9 CUS 1999
- Thesaurus
- theater, lesbische vrouwen, androgynie, relaties, ondernemers, vriendinnen, biografie, 19e eeuw, Verenigde Staten
- Description
- At the height of her career, actress Charlotte Cushman (1816-76) was one of the most famous women in the English-speaking world. Cushman challenged Victorian notions of gender in her stage portrayals of male characters and of strong, androgynous female characters. Offstage, she was a powerful businesswoman who supported her family, women lovers, and friends. Merrill examines Cushman's personal correspondence to shed new light on the actress's relationships and in turn on our understandings of the nature of women's 'romantic friendships.' She demonstrates how Cushman's androgynous presence served as a symbol to many of her contemporaries, and revealed their multiple and often contradictory attitudes toward female performers, women, and the unspeakable possibilities of same-sex desire. The biography draws upon unpublished archival material as well as on current critical work to view Cushman's career, relationships, and posthumous reception. When Romeo Was a Woman examines as autobiographical performance Cushman's own narratives, the stories she authorized others to write, and the letters she wrote to intimates.