Sheridan

Oliphant's 1883 work covers the life and work of the eighteenth-century playwright, theatre owner, politician and radical Richard Brinsley Sheridan.

Margaret Oliphant's Sheridan (1883) covers the youth, writing, career and middle age of the famous playwright, theatre owner, politician and radical, Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Oliphant - a distinguished novelist in her own right - provides a vivid and sympathetic portrayal of Sheridan, creating a valuable insight into his remarkable life and work.The Scots novelist Margaret Oliphant (1828–97) published this biography of the playwright and poet Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) in the first 'English Men of Letters' series in 1883. Sheridan is best known for his plays The Rivals, A Trip to Scarborough, and The School for Scandal, which was his most popular work among his contemporaries. Sheridan was also at one point the owner of the famous Theatre Royal on Drury Lane, which he purchased with his father-in-law in 1776. He led a radical political career, becoming a Whig MP in 1780 and quickly developing a reputation as a brilliant orator. He defended the French Revolution and supported American colonists against British colonial policy. Oliphant's biography covers Sheridan's youth, dramatic writing, political career and middle age; her vivid and sympathetic portrayal provides a valuable insight into his remarkable life.