Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

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his ctr^er, and his rationalisations of the manner in .rhich
he eonaucted his business -were often perverse and puzzling.
Shaw described Mansfield as a "spoilt child", and his behaviour
towards Gilbert appears to have been a foretaste of his
habitual attitude to critics, authors, and public. In August
1906, hen he wts discussing ,,ith (of ; 11 people) v.illiam
v. inter the adaptation of Peer ttunt. he wrote in one letter of
his t>rect admiration for the play and in the next, thirteen
days later, o± his intention to preset it "in c, spirit of
travesty and thus to "hoist the Ibsen crtae etc. with its
O'..n petard"*".
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The difficulties iiansfiela experienced in
coming to terms v.ith Ibsen *s ; ork ,;ere pertly a result of his
extraordinary temperament - his earliest biographer, t>i ul
iailstoch, characterised him ts "w^iiasic. 1": after an arc,u-eat
with an i .pro sari o he apent houru in a deep ue^rod^ion,
travelling back c.ros £.ic f orv\ rci:3 on the fer y from the Battery
to Jtaten Island"' 0 ,
Mansfield's ujjciiu'c .ill was useful to hin in iii... American
career - Di^hraar iiolpod him by reporti.\, tha premiere in
Boston as : a series of iourteon historic. 1 pictures, some of
exquisite beauty, atl intensely interesting, aiiu f r . u^;ht v.ith
the spirit of a fascinating epoch" (Me_w fork Tiates » ^ /ctober
18Sy). Of the play's present., tion in Ne I ork, on lo uecoinber
at i'alraer's theater, iiithmar ^rott tiu t ikansi'ield's pcting mi^ht
be "too elaborate in design" for tie con.ion ritinc' but possessec
"splendid vi^or and i-ich vitality" (Mew fork Tinus, 5 January
1890). The production was, Ode 11 reaerabered in his -Ui ...lo ;jf
thej'iu.'f York 5ta,:.e_ > "compc iv-ble in ue. uLy onu tccurccy of
cietail to ..hi't henry Irving had sta^eu ?t ti.e Lyceum". In ids
tv.o -volume study, .jhakea.^ef.re. f r 3n .jcftcrton jto Iryiii^ Jcell
wrote:
I remember ^t/ter appropri£?t--ne^b, ovoi; impr^-titjivsri_
a. ui st oi"fo» b ^t tiiu production »;-,;=>
ubern,r; 1 enc made no BKirk.n
The reason for t: is lack oi a lasting im^rcs ,ian Icy p; rtly in
riansfield's failure to follow ^i-^chcre r J^._i_ ith othei proouctioas
of e similar n, tur.s: he had stejucs t::.e pi: y efter six moiiti;s
i.i London, urin& hicj. tiine ho had enjo./et. sona su cocoa in a