Rejected Addresses; Or, The New Theatrum Poetarum

When London's Drury Lane Theatre prepared to reopen in 1812, a public call went out for a celebratory address. Two witty brothers answered, not by writing a single speech but by creating a collection of clever parodies that pretended to be the opening lines of the era’s most famous poets. Their playful scheme turned a modest competition into a literary hoax that delighted both the audience and the critics.

The volume swings from a gentle, lakeside reverie in the style of Wordsworth to a rousing, melodramatic flourish that mimics Byron’s swagger, and even captures the solemn cadence of Scott’s historical epics. Each piece is a loving yet sharp impersonation, revealing how the brothers could capture the quirks of tone, diction and rhythm that defined their targets. Readers hear the familiar voices rearranged into a witty contest, making the book a snapshot of early‑Romantic literary culture as much as a source of amusement.