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- From the time that Pope substituted Cibber for Theobald as hero of the Dunciad, Cibber has been constantly misrepresented as being a dunce, whereas his plays are amusing, and he is an admirable dramatic critic. His worst fault was inordinate vanity; but this, to some extent, was carried off by the liveliness of his disposition.
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Even one of his editors accused him of ‘inordinate vanity’. Actor, playwright, theatre manager and Poet Laureate, Colley Cibber (pronounced Sibber) is the fall guy of English Literature, a man better known for the mockery he incurred than for his real achievements. We shouldn’t be surprised. Cibber lived in (and for) the public eye.
Cibber's colourful autobiography An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber, Comedian (1740) was chatty, meandering, anecdotal, vain, and occasionally inaccurate. [20] At the time of writing the word "apology" meant an apologia, a statement in defence of one's actions rather than a statement of regret for having transgressed.
An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber is a memoir by the British playwright, actor-manager and current Poet Laureate published in 1740. Popular with the public, it was both an autobiography of Cibber's career and a more general history of the Restoration theatre .
Vanity is a comfortable fault to the possessor, and a high opinion of himself kept Colley Cibber in good humour with the world through a long and by no means tranquil career. Pope's anger got the better of his judgment when he deposed Theobald and placed "King Colley " on the throne of dullness.
‘Reading Colley Cibber's Apology is always delightful, for, as well as being the first in the genre, it is one of the most enjoyable theatrical autobiographies ever written. But it is an especial delight to read it in the wise and genial company of David Roberts, the ideal guide to Cibber and the theatres he wrote for and acted in.'
His worst fault was inordinate vanity; but this, to some extent, was carried off by the liveliness of his disposition. Johnson was not friendly to Cibber, but he admitted that An Apology was “very well done,” and Horace Walpole calls it “inimitable.”
Apr 18, 2024 · Colley Cibber was an English actor, theatre manager, playwright, and poet laureate of England, whose play Love’s Last Shift; or, The Fool in Fashion (1696) is generally considered the first sentimental comedy, a form of drama that dominated the English stage for nearly a century.
