SOURCE: Hume, Robert D. “The Importance of Thomas Southerne.” Modern Philology 87, no. 3 (February 1990): 270-90.

In the following essay, Hume reviews a 1988 edition of Southerne's collected works and argues that Southerne deserves greater acclaim as one of the finest dramatists of his time.

The appearance of a thousand-page “standard” edition of the Works¹ of Thomas Southerne is cause for rejoicing among a few specialists, but probably leaves most others wondering, “And who the deuce may he be?” Thomas Southerne (1660-1746) was a friend and protegé of Dryden's; an early sponsor and longtime friend of Congreve's; and author of ten plays, two of which remained repertory staples for decades. But this capsule description begs the real question: why does Southerne deserve such an edition? For some two hundred years after his death he was almost totally neglected, and for this neglect there is no very obvious reason. He was a...