Publication details
A Joy in Fear: The Passion for Fear in Joanna Baillie’s Plays Orra and The Dream
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Zlín Proceedings in Humanities - Theories and Practices |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Mass media, audiovision |
| Keywords | Joanna Baillie; Orra; The Dream; fear; sublime; imagination; madness; theory of theatre; |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This paper compares two tragedies in the third volume of Joanna Baillie’s Plays on the Passions in which the playwright explores the workings of fear on the minds of two main protagonists. The title character of Orra is a woman driven to madness by her superstitious fear of the supernatural, which is indicative of Baillie’s affiliation with the Gothic. In The Dream, General Osterloo collapses, terrified of dying with a guilty conscience. This paper discusses a new theory of theatre Baillie herself formulated, and draws connections to Burke’s notion of the sublime, stressing the importance of fear and terror for creating an aesthetic experience. The plays also demonstrate a tendency to depict the psychology of characters, namely their suppressed feelings and emotions. |