Enlightenment

George Lillo: London Merchant

The English playwright and tragedian, George Lillo (1691-1739) is best know for his London Merchant or The History of George Barnwell (1731), not least, on account of Dickens’s mention of the work in Great Expectations. In this socially conscious (and proto-feminist) tale of a London Merchant’s descent into crime (aided by a prostitute), Lillo redefined the notion of dramatic tragedy to show how, like the heroes of antiquity, lower class citizens were worthy of tragic downfalls.

Lillo (George), The London Merchant or The History of George Barnwell. In Miscellaneous Tragedies Vol X. 8th ed. 12mo. London, 1743.
[F.26.13]
Former owner: David Hughes (1727-77)