Taking the Census: A Farce

Elizabeth F. GuptillProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 30K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Taking the Census: A Farce by Elizabeth F. GuptillAuthor: Guptill, Elizabeth F. (Elizabeth Frances), 1870-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 17, 2016

Editor's review

This is a one-act farce script by Elizabeth F. Guptill, an author active in American popular drama writing from the late 19th to early 20th century. The plot revolves around the census and belongs to typical domestic comedy: everyday administrative affairs serve as the trigger for misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and fast-paced dialogue. Records classify it under PS, American and Canadian literature; it is short and suitable for amateur theater groups, school classrooms, or family read-alouds. As a public-domain electronic text, it preserves the feel of early American humor and the stage directions, and is also useful for studying how community life and the census system entered popular entertainment at the time. Readers need not look for deep character development; the focus should be on the rhythm of dialogue, the setup of comic conflict, and the staging cues. If used for rehearsal, begin with a read-through, then adjust role assignments according to the number of actors.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Primary, secondary, or community theater groups needing a short, easy-to-stage English farce script
English drama teachers who want to use a one-act comedy to train students in reading aloud and performance
Literature enthusiasts interested in early 20th-century American popular drama
English learners hoping to improve oral rhythm through short-play dialogue

Not a good fit for

Readers of serious drama seeking profound social critique or complex psychological characterization
Theater companies needing a complete staging plan and professional director's notes
Readers with weak English who would struggle with colloquial dialogue and stage directions

Reading tips

First do a read-through by role, mark the punchlines and rhythm shifts, then decide whether to stage it.
While reading, pay attention to how stage directions work with dialogue and observe the comic mechanics of farce.
You may combine it with the historical background of the census and discuss how administrative affairs are turned into comic material.
For classroom use, it is advisable to introduce the background first, then have students simulate dialogue between a census taker and residents.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a play or a novel?

According to the records, this book is a farce script titled Taking the Census: A Farce. It is a dramatic text with dialogue and stage directions, not a narrative novel. Read it as a script, understanding entrances, exits, and the rhythm of dialogue.

What size of theater group is it suitable for?

As a one-act farce, it usually has a limited number of roles and simple staging, making it suitable for small theater groups, school clubs, or family read-alouds. The exact number depends on the character list in the script; read it through before assigning roles.

Can I read it without knowing about the U.S. census?

Yes. The core of the farce is misunderstanding and comic dialogue; the census is only the plot trigger. A little knowledge of the basic process of census takers visiting households to register residents can help you understand the jokes, but it does not affect overall reading.

Does this electronic edition have notes?

This edition comes from Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain electronic text. It mainly preserves the original content and usually has no modern notes or staging guidance. Readers who need background information should consult separate introductions to the author and American popular drama of the period.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Elizabeth F. Guptill Author · American · 1870

Elizabeth F. Guptill (born 1870) was an American playwright active in the early twentieth century, known for her farces and plays for children. Nine of her works are held in this collection, including The Twins, and How They Entertained the New Minister: A Farce, Christmas at McCarthy's, Answering the Phone: A Farce, An Uninvited Member: A Play for Girls in Two Scenes, and The Changed Valentines, and Other Plays for St. Valentine's Day. These titles show her gift for one-act farces and short plays suited to children or young girls, with plots built around holidays, family life, and everyday misunderstandings, light in tone and well suited to amateur and school performances. Her works were published by the Paine Publishing Company of Dayton, Ohio, and by Walter H. Baker & Co. of Boston. Public information about her life is limited and calls for further research.