The Music-Hall Comedian by Harry Graham
This novel is a satirical portrayal of the British upper class during the Edwardian era. The story revolves around a music-hall comedian who becomes embroiled in the lives of the aristocracy, exposing their hypocrisy and pretensions through his performances.
By Harry Graham · First published 1907 · Genre: Satire, Comedy, Poetry · 1,097 words
First lines
When the day of toil is ended, / When our labours are suspended, / And we hunger for agreeable society, / The relentless voice of Pleasure / Bids us spend an hour of leisure / In a Music-Hall or Palace of Variety, / Where to furnish relaxation / Ev'ry effort is directed, / Tho' the claims of ventilation / Have been carefully neglected.
There's an atmosphere oppressive / (For the smoking is excessive) / In this Temple of conventional hilarity, / But the place is scarcely warmer / Than the average performer / With his stock-in-trade of commonplace vulgarity. / There is nothing wise or witty / In the energy he squanders / On some quite unworthy ditty / Full of dubious "_dooblontonders_."
What this Textopian page supports
The Music-Hall Comedian is listed on Textopian as a short story by Harry Graham, dated 1907 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Harry Graham
- Date: 1907 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Satire, Comedy, Poetry, Social Commentary, Cultural Criticism
- Length: 1,097 words
- Structure: 1 section, 12 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Confusing
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Music-Hall Comedian by Harry Graham
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Satire — The work critiques societal norms and entertainment culture through humor and irony.
- Comedy — The text employs comedic elements to entertain and highlight absurdities in music-hall performances.
- Poetry — The structure and style of the work are poetic, using rhyme and meter.
- Social Commentary — The work comments on social issues such as class, entertainment, and societal values.
Tags
Comedy · Satire · Social Commentary · Literary Fiction · Humor · Irony · Sarcasm · Critique of Society · Class Satire · Victorian Era · London Setting · Working Class Life
More by Harry Graham
- More Misrepresentative Men (1905)
- What's in a Name? (1927)
- Nobody's Darling! (Rhymes for the Times) (1902)
- Roses all the Way (Rhymes for the Times) (1925)
- The Triumph of Jam (Rhymes for the Times) (1902)
- Egregious Eastbourne (Rhymes for the Times) (1907)
- Sarah Owen (Rhymes for the Times) (1902)
- The Last Horsed 'Bus (Rhymes for the Times) (1925)
- All works by Harry Graham