Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

by Mack, Robert L.

• ISBN13: 9780199229338
• ISBN10: 0199229333
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

'Ladies and Gentlemen...I have to state that Mrs Lovett's pies are made of human flesh!'This shocking announcement provides the stunning denouement to a narrative first published over a period of four months in the winter of 1846-7. The revelation marked only the beginning, however, of the notorious career of Sweeney Todd, soon known to legend as the 'Demon Barber' of London's FleetStreet. The story of Todd's entrepreneurial partnership with neighbouring pie-maker Margery Lovett - at once inconceivably unpalatable and undeniably compelling - has subsequently provided the substance for a seemingly endless series of successful dramatic adaptations, popular songs and ballads,novellas, radio plays, graphic novels, ballets, films, and musicals. Both gleeful and ghoulish, the original tale of Sweeney Todd, first published under the title The String of Pearls, is an early classic of British horror writing. It combines the story of Todd's grisly method of robbing anddispatching his victims with a romantic sub-plot involving deception, disguise, and detective work, set against the backdrop of London's dark and unsavoury streets.This edition provides an authoritative text of the first version of the story ever to be published, as well as a lively introduction to its history and reputation.

Author Biography

Robert L. Mack is the author of Thomas Gray, A Life and editor of The Arabian Nights' Entertainments and Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield for Oxford World's Classics.

Table of Contents

A Select Chronology
Map: Sweeney Todd's London
Sweeney Todd
The Strange Customer at Sweeney Todd's	p. 3
The Spectacle-Maker's Daughter	p. 12
The Dog and the Hat	p. 19
The Pie-shop in Bell-yard	p. 28
The Meeting in the Temple	p. 35
The Conference, and the Fearful Narration in the Garden	p. 43
The Barber and the Lapidary	p. 53
The Thieves' Home	p. 58
Johanna at Home, and the Resolution	p. 69
The Colonel and his Friend	p. 77
The Stranger at Lovett's	p. 91
The Resolution Come to by Johanna Oakley	p. 99
Johanna's Interview with Arabella Wilmot, and the Advice	p. 112
Tobias's Threat, and its Consequences	p. 121
The Second Interview between Johanna and the Colonel in the Temple-gardens	p. 124
The Barber Makes Another Attempt to Sell the String of Pearls	p. 130
The Great Change in the Prospects of Sweeney Todd	p. 137
Tobias's Adventures during the Absence of Sweeney Todd	p. 142
The Strange Odour in Old St. Dunstan's Church	p. 149
Sweeney Todd's Proceedings Consequent upon the Departure of Tobias	p. 154
The Misadventure of Tobias. - The Mad-House on Peckham Rye	p. 161
The Mad-House Cell	p. 166
The New Cook to Mrs Lovett Gets Tired of his Situation	p. 171
The Night at the Mad-House	p. 178
Mr Fogg's Story at the Mad-House to Sweeney Todd	p. 184
Colonel Jeffery Makes Another Effort to Come at Sweeney Todd's Secret	p. 198
Tobias Makes an Attempt to Escape from the Mad-House	p. 206
The Mad-House Yard, and Tobias's New Friend	p. 210
The Consultation of Colonel Jeffery with the Magistrate	p. 216
Tobias's Escape from Mr Fogg's Establishment	p. 221
The Rapid Journey to London of Tobias	p. 239
The Announcement in Sweeney Todd's Window. Johanna Oakley's Adventure	p. 242
The Discoveries in the Vaults of St Dunstan's	p. 247
Johanna Alone. - The Secret - Mr Todd's Suspicions. - The Mysterious Letter	p. 252
Sweeney Todd Commences Clearing the Road to Retirement	p. 257
The Last Batch of the Delicious Pies	p. 262
The Prisoner's Plan of Escape from the Pies	p. 267
Sweeney Todd Shaves a Good Customer. - The Arrest	p. 272
The Conclusion	p. 278
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.