A Sensation Novel (1871) is a comic musical by W. S. Sullivan. First
performed at the Royal Gallery of Illustration in January 1871, A
Sensation Novel is one of Gilbert's collaborations with composer Thomas
German Reed, whose German Reed Entertainments have been credited with
revitalizing British theatre. As a satire of Victorian sensation novels
that employs self-aware stock characters, the play is a metatheatrical
work that anticipates Luigi Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an
Author (1921), predating it by half a century. Lamenting his loss of
creative energy, an author appeals to the Spirit of Romance for
guidance. Appearing before him, the Spirit reveals a shocking truth: the
characters he has been working on are actually the souls of sinners
condemned to play their polar opposites for eternity. Not only this, but
the characters will soon become real. In a panic, the author flees his
home for a time. When he returns, he finds the figures who filled the
pages of his novel have taken control of their destinies, defying his
restrictions and reveling in the chance to be alive. A story of romance,
adventure, and crime ensues, blending the popular themes of the era's
sensation novels for comic effect while investigating the nature of
creativity itself. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally
typeset manuscript, this edition of W. S. Gilbert's A Sensation Novel
is a classic work of English literature reimagined for modern readers.
