A Critical Edition of the Diary of Harry Watkins, 19th-Century American Actor
FAIN: HB-231942-16
Naomi J. Stubbs
CUNY Research Foundation, LaGuardia Community College (Long Island City, NY 11101-3007)
Preparation of a scholarly edition of the diary of 19th-century American actor Harry Watkins (1825-1894).
This grant will support the creation of a critical edition of the diary of nineteenth-century American actor Harry Watkins. Written from 1845-1860, it is the only known diary of its size and scope by an American actor during the decade prior to the Civil War. The diary documents performances by famous actors, political events, business transactions, and personal matters, and our edition will provide researchers, teachers, and general readers interested in nineteenth-century US entertainment, politics, economics, and culture an accurate and accessible edition of this unique diary. During the award period, I will prepare six chapters of the printed edition according to our style guide. I will write annotations for basic information needed to understand the diary’s content (e.g., names, places, and terms) and form (e.g., noting redacted and amended text), drawing upon research conducted at the Harvard Theatre Collection and New York Public Library.
Associated Products
A Player and a Gentleman: The Diary of Harry Watkins, Nineteenth-Century U.S. American Actor (Book)Title: A Player and a Gentleman: The Diary of Harry Watkins, Nineteenth-Century U.S. American Actor
Editor: Naomi J. Stubbs
Editor: Amy E. Hughes
Abstract: "Hardworking actor, playwright, and producer Harry Watkins (1825-94) was also a prolific diarist. For 15 years Watkins regularly recorded the plays he saw, the roles he performed, the books he read, and his impressions of current events. Performing across the U.S., Watkins collaborated with preeminent performers and producers, recording his successes and failures as well as his encounters with celebrities such as P. T. Barnum, Junius Brutus Booth, Edwin Forrest, Anna Cora Mowatt, and Lucy Stone. His is the only known diary of substance written by a U.S. actor before the Civil War--making Watkins, essentially, the antebellum equivalent of Samuel Pepys. Theater historians Amy E. Hughes and Naomi J. Stubbs have selected, edited, and annotated substantial excerpts from the diary in an edition that offers a vivid glimpse of how ordinary people like Watkins lived, loved, struggled, and triumphed during one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history. The selections in A Player and a Gentleman are drawn from a more expansive digital archive of the complete diary. The book, like its digital counterpart, will richly enhance our knowledge of antebellum theater culture and daily life in the U.S. during this period"
Year: 2018
Primary URL:
https://www.worldcat.org/title/player-and-a-gentleman-the-diary-of-harry-watkins-nineteenth-century-us-american-actor/oclc/1045640509Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Type: Edited Volume
ISBN: 9780472130917
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes