Making Scenes: Social Theatre and Modes of Survival in Burney's Performative 'World'

Abstract

This study explores the use and representation of social theatrics in Frances Burney’s early works (Evelina, The Witlings, and Cecilia), as a social force, a tool, and a threat stemming from and contributing to an essentially theatrical ‘World.’ Characters are analyzed through two functional pairs of characteristics: the imaginative/nonimaginative and the natural/performative. Chapter 1 discusses gossips as the audience for social performance in Burney’s works. Chapter 2 studies the affective language of two imaginative social performers, Sir Clement Willoughby and Mr. Harrel. Chapter 3 investigates the performance of ‘privacy’ by Cecilia’s Mr. Monckton. In Chapter 4, the question of moral alignment comes into play through Harrel and Mr. Belfield, regarding both performance and the theatrical ‘World’ itself. Chapter 5 investigates the effects of social theatre on Burney’s natural, nonperformative protagonists, and their effectiveness in a performance-driven society. Concluding, this study finds a universal danger in social theatricality and a limit to viable alternatives for those who wish to escape it.