This thesis examines the extra-parliamentary life of the playwright, theatre manager, and politician Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Through in-depth analysis of newspapers and satirical prints published in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, it will consider how Sheridan’s interactions with newspapers helped to build his initial celebrity as well as establish him as one of Britain’s foremost playwrights, before his entry into parliament saw him become press manager for the opposition and take on a more overt and active role in shaping press opinion. Sheridan’s interactions with the press were essential for establishing his initial celebrity as well as assuring the success of his early plays. In the political sphere, Sheridan’s work as the Whig opposition’s press manager saw a rise in the organisation and efficiency of press coverage for the opposition. Despite the increase in finance, Sheridan’s press work showed a more nuanced influence on the late eighteenth-century press, with buyouts and subsidies only one way to influence newspapers. This thesis also considers the representation of Sheridan’s political and associational life, showing how his indulgent social life displayed in London clubs as well as his involvement in reformist societies significantly affected his portrayal in caricature, facilitating an image of Sheridan as profligate, drunk, and potentially traitorous, to seep into the public consciousness. It contributes to scholarship both on Sheridan and the cultural media landscape of late eighteenth-century Britain, demonstrating Sheridan’s influence on and portrayal in theatrical plays, the newspaper press, and satirical prints.
Citizen Sheridan: the extra-parliamentary life of Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Peate, J. E. (Author). 9 May 2023
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)