"Self-Praise and Dramatic Patronage: The Practice of Dedications in the Restoration Theatre (1660-1700)"

Abstract

The practice of dedications was widespread in printed playtexts during the second half of the 17th century in England. The support of the great was paramount, given the precarious situation of professional playwrights. Their earnings consisted only in the third-night benefit and the payment for publication rights. Dedications afforded authors an occasion to cement patronage relations by making them public, derive new profits, enhance their prestige, or even try to compensate for the lack of success on the stage. The present work analyses one of the strategies most often employed for this purpose in dedicatory epistles, the resort to self-praise, focusing on references to acclaim and marks of favour shown by either the dedicatee or other influential people.