The Economies of Parody in Viennese Polpular Theatre

The interdisciplinary book links economic and sociohistorical aspects with genre-typological questions. Using parody in the first third of the 19 th century in Viennese popular theatre as an example, the various economies of the genre are examined, providing a contribution to basic research into Viennese Volkstheater. Differing from previous research approaches, parody is considered as a genre of theatre practice, allowing to demonstrate the conditions of production for playwrights working in profit oriented popular theatres amidst socioeconomic crises (time pressure during production, public taste, theatre reviews, censorship). In addition, examining the relevance of the money motif, omnipresent in plays provides a link to the sociohistorical context of financial crises burdening the Habsburg Monarchy (inflation, rise in prices, national insolvency in 1811), which led to a ruin of state finances, a lack of trust in currency and paper money and a shift within the social classes. In the catchpenny parodies, a theatrical communication strategy can be recognised, used by the playwrights to reflect on political and social turbulences and peoples fears on the discourse level of comedy at a time of repressive control and censorship. The aim of this book is to research these questions based on the critical edition of a selected text corpus that includes Joseph Alois Gleichs Fiesko der Salamikrämer (1813), Hermann Josef Herzenskrons Die Jungfrau von Wien (1813), Adolf Bäuerles Der Leopoldstag, oder Kein Menschenhaß und keine Reue (1814) and Der blöde Ritter (1822), as well as Karl Meisls Julerl, die Putzmacherin (1828) and Fra Diavolo oder das Gasthaus auf der Strasse (1830).