English Literature, 1500 to 1799: Biographies

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Bickerstaffe, Isaac

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | | Copyright

Bickerstaffe, Isaac (1735–1812), English dramatist, considered in his day the equal of John Gay as a writer of ballad operas. The first of these, Thomas and Sally; or, The Sailor's Return (1760), was given at Covent Garden. It was followed by Love in a Village (1762) and The Maid of the Mill (1765), based on Richardson's novel Pamela, which held the stage for many years, and is found in the repertory of the toy theatre. Of Bickerstaffe's later productions, many of them written in collaboration with Samuel Foote and Charles Dibdin, the best was Lionel and Clarissa (1768). In 1772 Bickerstaffe was suspected of capital crime, and fled to the Continent, where he died in poverty.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Bickerstaffe, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Bickerstaffe, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-BickerstaffeIsaac.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "Bickerstaffe, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-BickerstaffeIsaac.html

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Bickerstaff, Isaac

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | | Copyright

Bickerstaff, Isaac, a fictitious person invented by Swift. A cobbler, John Partridge, claiming to be an astrologer, had published predictions in the form of an almanac. Swift in the beginning of 1708 produced a parody entitled Predictions for the Ensuing Year, by Isaac Bickerstaff, in which he foretold the death of Partridge on 29 March. On 30 March he published a letter giving an account of Partridge's end. Partridge indignantly protested that he was still alive, but Swift retorted in a Vindication proving that he was really dead. Other writers took up the joke, and Steele, when he launched the Tatler in 1709, adopted the name of Bickerstaff for the supposed author.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Bickerstaff, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Bickerstaff, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-BickerstaffIsaac.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Bickerstaff, Isaac." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-BickerstaffIsaac.html

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