Research Project: Fairy Worlds
Anglo-American Operetta and Musical Theater, I
Fairy Worlds and Culture in Gilbert and Sullivan
by Natalie Duchen
Summary.
This research paper focused on the use of fairy worlds and fairy culture, particularly Victorian fairies in Gilbert and Sullivan productions. At first I was going to dive into the use of fairies in different productions besides Iolanthe, however when researching the show individually, there was a lot to be said for their presence in the opera. Gilbert’s use of Victorian fairies in Iolanthe was not only used as a comedic element, but used as a tool to represent societal issues such as authoritarian figures and women in terms of gender and sexuality.
The beginning of the paper examined Victorian fairies. “Victorian fairies served as a screen for projection, a vehicle of fantasy, a way of imagining” (Williams, 188). Victorian fairies were reaching their peak between the years of 1880 and 1910, making the timing of Iolanthe at the rise. The use of Victorian fairies was a way to bridge the supernatural and the real world or realms. The fairies were exercised as a symbol for fleeing any sort of modernization and creating their own ways of ritual, dress, economy, and political system. They were also a great way to “relieve inhibitions” in terms of covering fantasies of gender and women’s sexuality.
The paper then examined the making of Iolanthe and how Gilbert wanted fairies to be a very instrumental tool in telling the story. Iolanthe was known as one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s strongest collaborations. The story itself derived from “The Fairy Curate” in the Bab Ballads, which was Gilbert’s starting point for the show. Gilbert went through several plots and revisions when writing his plot books and creating the outline for the plot of the show. “All kinds of tone meet and mingle in this opera: whimsy, fantasy, romance, wit and political satire. In the plot books Gilbert, can be seen trying to define the opera’s imaginative world. At times, he seems to be groping in the dark for an object, the shape of which he cannot guess” (Crowther, 158). Gilbert was fascinated with the idea of fairies marrying mortals, but he could not decide how to bring the details of this story to fruition. However, one plot line he stuck with was with one of the main characters Strephon, who himself is half a fairy. Sullivan himself waited until the “last minute” to complete the serious work of the opera. The show premiered at the Savoy Theatre in 1882 and ran for 398 performances.
The next part of the paper examined the different ideas and themes that the fairies represented in Iolanthe; the fairy genre, gender, politics, and sexuality. In terms of the fairy genre, it blends the supernatural romance with psychological realism, the supernatural romance comes from the concept of the fairies falling in love and inevitably marrying the peers in the production. Gilbert and Sullivan productions have an incredible way of making the female characters the superior characters; this can also be seen in their productions including Trial by Jury, H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance. There is also examination of the separation of the choruses between the men and women or the Peers and the Fairies. When dividing the choruses between the Peer and the Fairies, it can be argued that this is a commentary on the separation between the mortal and supernatural worlds; However, it is comically constructed so the Fairies are “high” and the Peers are “low.” Iolanthe comically uses a hierarchy of genders, with the fairies always seen as ascendant. Lastly, the use of sexuality of the fairies can also be classified under the analysis of gender. Although the fairies succumb to their sexual desires towards the Peers at the conclusion of the show, the Peers are transformed to fairies and taken to Fairyland, giving up their mortal lives for a supernatural one.
Bibliography
Crowther, Andrew. “The Making of Iolanthe (1881-82).” Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan: His Life and Character. Stroud, Gloucestershire: History Press, 2011. 156-72. Print.
Ellis, James Delmont. 1964. "The Comic Vision of W.S. Gilbert." Order No. 6407915, The University of Iowa. https://search-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/302100019?accountid=14541.
Gilbert, W.S. and Sullivan, Arthur. Iolanthe: The Peer and the Peri. 1882. Milwaukee, WI: G. Schirmer, Inc.
“Iolanthe by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.” Iolanthe by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
“Journal Contents.” The W.S. Gilbert Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
Silver, Carole G.. Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness. Cary, US: Oxford University Press (US), 2000. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 25 April 2017.
Williams, Carolyn. “Transforming the Fairy Genres: Women on Top in Iolanthe.” (pp. 187-221) in Gilbert and Sullivan: Gender, Genre, Parody. Chicago: Northwestern University Press, 2008.