Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Opera in England prior to The Beggar's Opera
- 2. The Gentle Shepherd: the first ballad opera
- 3. The Beggar's Opera: its conception
- 4. John Gay
- 5. The plot and characters of The Beggar's Opera
- 6. The music of The Beggar's Opera and its sources
- 7. Polly: the sequel to The Beggar's Opera
- 8. The publication of The Beggar's Opera
- 9. Production and criticism
- 10. Later ballad operas
- Index.