Lovers’ Vows

In her Preface, Mrs Inchbald relates the changes and cuts she made to von Kotzebue's original Das Kind der Liebe which is why I have reviewed Lovers' Vows in her name rather than as a translation of his work. I understand that much of the essential narrative is the same, but deep multi-page German speeches were condensed to just three or four English lines and the ending was changed so I suspect that reading Lovers' Vows is much like watching a film version of a great novel - this is the drastically abridged version!

Lovers' Vows is now most famous I think for being the play rehearsed by characters in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. My copy of that novel had the text of Lovers' Vows as an addition and I found reading it interesting as it gave a more rounded understanding of relevant Mansfield Park scenes. As a play in its own right though, it is pretty dire! Taken in its historical context I suppose this tale of pre-marital sex, illegitimate children and daylight robbery must have been thrillingly shocking to its audiences, but it is such a short work that, to modern eyes at least, so much overwrought angst from shallow undeveloped characters is laughable. I also frequently cringed at the 'humour' spoken by the patronised commonfolk characters and at the butler's terrible poetry. As a historical curiosity or alongside a group reading of Mansfield Park, I think the play might be fun to perform and perhaps even to watch, but otherwise I would be happy never to revisit it again!