A complete collection of Pantomime Plays on the topic
of or inspired by Guy Fawkes and
the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 along with
reviews, commentary and anthropological analysis. Well illustrated and
annotated.
376 Pages, ISBN:
978-0-9854486-6-0 Click here for details To return to the main Guy Fawkes Day and its Bonfire Night page click here To return to our main publications page click here
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A complete collection of Pantomime Plays on the topic
of or inspired by Guy Fawkes and
the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 along with
reviews, commentary and anthropological analysis. Well illustrated and
annotated.
376 Pages, ISBN:
978-0-9854486-6-0
From the Book:
Preface
A powerful network of artifacts of all kinds emanated from the national
horror of the intended treason known as the Gunpowder Plot. (See Volume
I).
Following the horror came the wonder of the mysterious Great
Deliverance. The network of artifacts sharing constituent
parts integrated with society extending outward serving potentially as
many
interpretations, meanings and functions as there could be participants
or
ideas. The network began with a traditional cultural response to the
horror and
deliverance--bonfires and bells. Then it was given energy by government
mandates and religious liturgy. Yet throughout, the most important
motivating
force was the horror and awe felt by the people in general. This
motivated them
to, despite differing local and regional cultures, unite to “Remember
and
Remember.” On one hand, regional and
ideological diversity of expression would broaden the base of
celebration rooting
in diversity. On the other, founding it
upon the shifting sands of constantly changing public opinion,
cultural preferences, and trends would bring instability..
The
wonder of Deliverance and the mysteries
such as seasonal change provided universal foundations that do not
change and
would provide a much stronger foundation. Through history, emphasis upon
founding concepts would shift. To avoid this constant uncertainty and to
create
more durable celebrations. Celebrants would be well advised to
focus as much as possible on purposes that do not change, those
rooted in
the universal wonders and msteries. This work points out how those
universals
appear though at times subtly, in artifacts of celebration, with the
hope that
focus upon them might be intensified while maintaining the diverse
footing
provided by a wide network founded upon a a cultural and political
diversity.
The roots of the network of founding paradigms
extended to all levels of society and permeated all aspects of culture both in
the United Kingdom and worldwide.
Pantomime is but one dimension of culture. The
collection of artifacts presented here is just a start. Pantomime was
well
integrated into the culture at large. It was enjoyed in theatres by all
ages and
entered homes via Toy Theatre. It was affordable. Pantomime reflected
Bonfire
customs, the perception of Guy Fawkes and of the conduct of celebration
and
amplified them throughout the year. Because of this close integration it
also
came to influence bonfire celebration customs, influencing the
syle of effigies and popular opinion in regard to celebration.
The celebration continues in a world in which the
danger of terrorism looms large. I hope you will find some of these artifacts
of assistance for your own expressions and celebrations. Don’t stop there.
Compose some of your own.
This work is designed to gather together artifacts
created from those of the Gunpowder Plot. It brings them from many obscure and
hard to access places. This makes of many one; E
pluribus unum so to speak. I
encourage further in-depth analysis and progress toward greater understanding beyond that which is
suggested here.
This is the first step toward meaningful analysis
and explanation. I hope it facilitates future work.
Integration of Pantomime into Bonfire Tradition
The pantomime tradition worked
with the literary tradition to create a kindler, gentler Guy Fawkes. It
also influenced children to change the
styles of their effigies. Much to the displeasure of the earlier generations,
Fawkes was transformed from a military man into a clown.
The children had simply associated Fawkes with
Harlequin the clown into which he changed at the end of the pantomime
“This year I made a stunning guy.
First of all I got a pair of my own breeches—black uns—and stuffed ‘em full of
shavings. I tied the bottoms with a bit of string. Then I got a black coat—that
belonged to another boy—and sewed it all round to the trousers; then we filled
that with shavings, and give him a good corporation. Then we got a block, sich
as the milliners have, and shoved that right in the neck of the coat, and then
we shoved some more shavings all round, to make it stick in tight; and when
that was done it looked just like a dead
man. I know something about dead men, because my father was always in that
line. Then we got some horsehair and some glue, and plastered the head all
round with glue, and stuck the horse-hair on to imitate the hair of a man; then
we put the mask on: it was a twopenny one—they‘re a great deal cheaper than
they used to be, you can get a very good one now for a penny—it had a great big
nose, and it had two red horns, black eyebrows, and red cheeks. I like devils,
they‘re so ugly. I bought a good-looking un two or three years ago, and we
didn‘t get hardly anything, the people said, ‘Ah! it‘s too good looking; it
don‘t frighten us at all.’ Well, then, after we put on his mask we got two
gloves, one was a woolen un, and the other a kid un, and stuffed them full of
shavings, and tied ‘em down to the chair. We didn‘t have no lantern, ‘cos it
keeps on falling out of his hands. After that we put on an old pair of lace-up
boots. We tied ‘em on to the legs of the breeches. The feet mostly twists
round, but we stopped that; we shoved a stick up the leg of his breeches, and
the other end into the boot, and tied it, and then it couldn ‘t twist round
very easy. After that we put a paper hanging cap on his head; it was
silk-velvet kind of paper, and decorated all over with tinsel bows. His coat we
pasted all over with blue and green tinsel bows and pictures. They was painted
theatrical characters, what we buy at the shop a ha‘penny a sheet plain, and
penny a sheet coloured: we bought ‘em plain, and coloured them ourselves. A-top
of his hat we put a ornament. We got some red paper, and cut it into narrow
strips, and curled it with the blade of the scissors, and stuck it on like a
feather. We made him a fine apron of hanging-paper, and cut that in slips up to
his knees, and curled it with the scissors, the same as his feather, and
decorated it with stars, and bows, and things, made out of paper, all manner of
colours, and pieces of tinsel. After we‘d finished the guy we made ourselves
cock‘d hats, all alike, and then we tied him in a chair, and wrote on his
breast, ‘Villanous Guy.’ Then we put two broomsticks under the chair and
carried him out.”
- Mayhew,
Henry. London Labour and the London Poor, Volume 3, London.
Griffen, Bohn and Company, Stationer’s Hall Court. 1851.
This is a
good example demonstrating that dimensions or structures of celebration
constantly interact with those in the
host culture. Concrete dimensions such as politics are dovetailed
in whereas the Universal Mysteries act more like hinge pins of a barrel hinge
linking the ever changing barrels together to the celebrations. As in the piano,
hinge strength is provided by the number of barrels or dimensions of culture.
The more the better. All cultural dimensions are significant for the durability
of the whole celebration.
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Table of Contents
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