Polly

by John Gay

Polly is a novel written by John Gay, first published in 1729. It is a story about a young woman named Polly Peachum, who falls in love with a highwayman named Macheath. Polly's parents, who are in the business of running a gang of thieves, disapprove of the relationship and try to put an end to it. However, Polly and Macheath are determined to be together, and they go through a series of adventures and misadventures to try to make it happen.The novel is set in London during the early 18th century, and it is a satirical commentary on the social and political issues of the time. It is written in a light-hearted and humorous style, and it features a cast of colorful characters, including thieves, prostitutes, and corrupt officials.Polly is considered to be one of the earliest examples of the modern novel, and it is also an important work in the history of English literature. It has been adapted into various forms, including plays, operas, and films, and it continues to be a popular and influential work today.Trapes. There it is now! Whoever heard a man of fortune in England talk of the necessaries of life? If the necessaries of life would have satisfy'd such a poor body as me, to be sure I had never come to mend my fortune to the Plantations. Whether we can afford it or no, we must have superfluities. We never stint our Expence to our own fortunes, but are miserable, if we do not live up to the profuseness of our neighbours.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Plays, Classics

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1729

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

John Gay was an English poet and dramatist. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera (1728), set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch. The characters, including Captain Macheath and Polly Peachum, became household names.

Reviews

[Ellie Kidger · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was interesting to read as a piece of 18th century theatre, but it has not aged well. Whereas The Beggar's Opera tackled class and crime, Polly uses colonialism as a tool to rehash the love triangle of its predecessor. I liked how pirates were used, but the depiction of the Native Americans felt dodgy at best. Also, the leading man is literally a white guy in blackface. Not a good look.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked for this for a long time after seeing a reference, almost as an aside, in a book on English literature. Who knew there was a sequel to "The Beggar's Opera"?? We find out what happens to Macheath and his wives Polly Peachum and Jenny Diver. They go to the West Indies in the late 1720s! Macheath has been sent as an indentured servant to work on a plantation but, before the story begins, he's escaped. Thought dead, he's actually put on blackface and exists as an escaped slave and pirate captain named Morano. Only Jenny, exiled to the Indies with him, is aware of this. When Polly sails from England to find her long-lost and utterly faithless true love (her father, one of the key figures of "The Beggar's Opera", has died in the interim), she ends up getting robbed aboard ship and arriving penniless. An old friend sells her as a slave to a lascivious planter. She resists, escapes, disguises herself as a young man, attracts the lascivious attention of Jenny Diver, and joins a tribe of local Indians fighting against pirates and a slave revolt.

"Polly" isn't as funny as "The Beggar's Opera" -- the satirical tone gets less and less pointed, and the character of Polly is finally almost tragic at the end, though Macheath remains a living social commentary all the way through, insisting that the only difference between him and Alexander the Great is that the latter was more successful. I'd love to see this performed some time--and of course, reading the text doesn't give more than a vague sense of the songs, since the words are there but not the music.

[Adam Stevenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a re-read to get the plot. What struck me was that the play was much less funny but the satire more bitter. Apart from the prologue, which is better than ‘The Beggar’s Opera’ the play is generally not as good. Of course not, it’s a sequel.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so unlike The Beggar's Opera that I was left a little disappointed afterward. It wasn't as satiric; however, I was entertained by some of the lines and the character development.