The Wonderful and Surprising History of Sweeney Todd
Subtitle: The Life and Times of an Urban Legend
Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group; Continuum
Published: December 20, 2007
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 375
ISBN-13: 9780826497918
Subjects: Literary studies: general; Popular culture; English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Mystery & Detective Fiction; Popular Culture - General; Literary Criticism; Literature - Classics / Criticism; England; History and criticism; Popular literature; Todd, Sweeney (Legendary character)
Description: Traces the history of the Todd narrative from its earliest "proper" appearance as a "penny dreadful" in 1846-47, and then as a popular melodrama, through to its twentieth-century manifestation in film, ballet, musicals and opera, up to current and future productions including the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp film. Each successive generation has found a compelling fascination in the story's themes of avarice, ambition, desire, appetite, retribution, justice, and cannibalism. Following in the footsteps of the myth, this book takes the reader on a journey from the roots of the story in the alleyways and pie-shops of Victorian London to its modern incarnations on stage, screen and in popular culture.--From publisher description.