'And yet I remember': ageing and old(er) age in English drama between 1660 and the 1750s (New edition.)

Within these approximately 90 years, England witnessed significant developments in medicine and the advent of sentimental philosophy, which began to transform attitudes toward old age and ageing.

This study discusses the enduring cultural and literary stereotyping of old(er) people in culture and drama of this period.

The chapters are organised around the stereotypes that kept reappearing in cultural, medical and religious narratives on old age, namely the desiring old man (senex amans) and woman (the lusty old widow) and the nostalgic and wise elder.

Exploring many diverse storylines between 1660 and the 1750s that treat old age and present old(er) characters, the analyses in this study further show how the choice of genre, personal experiences and attitudes of the playwright, and political and cultural revolutions affected the representation of older people.