{"product_id":"the-beggars-opera-9780140432206","title":"The Beggar's Opera","description":"\u003cb\u003e'Whore and rogue they call husband and wife: \u003cbr\u003eAll professions be-rogue one another' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe tale of Peachum, thief-taker and informer, conspiring to send the dashing and promiscuous highwayman Macheath to the gallows, became the theatrical sensation of the eighteenth century. In \u003cb\u003eThe Beggar's Opera\u003c\/b\u003e, John Gay turned conventions of Italian opera riotously upside-down, instead using traditional popular ballads and street tunes, while also indulging in political satire at the expense of the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. Gay's highly original depiction of the thieves, informers, prostitutes and highwaymen thronging the slums and prisons of the corrupt London underworld proved brilliantly successful in exposing the dark side of a corrupt and jaded society. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBryan Loughrey and T. O. Treadwell's introduction examines the eighteenth-century background of musical theatre and opera, the changing cityscape of London and the corruption of the legal system. This edition also includes a note on the music in \u003cb\u003eThe Beggar's Opera\u003c\/b\u003e and suggestions for further reading. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/06\/1987\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780140432206\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 128\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.23lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.06w x 0.33d","brand":"John Gay","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45211645837493,"sku":"9780140432206","price":11.9,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_79d02d7d-e3d9-4028-b2b2-77fb541ea2bd.jpg?v=1742913614","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-beggars-opera-9780140432206","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}