Inchbald’s Dysfluent Tension: The Dysfluency of I’ll Tell You What (1785) and Lovers’ Vows (1798)

This article explores how Elizabeth Inchbald’s lifelong stammer shaped her work as an actress and playwright in late eighteenth-century Britain. Though she achieved fame despite personal and financial challenges, her most persistent obstacle was her speech impediment, which was most visible during performances. Through close readings of I’ll Tell You What (1785) and Lovers’ Vows (1798), this article introduces the concept of a modality of dysfluency, which includes diagnosable, momentary, and structural dysfluency. This framework highlights how Inchbald used dysfluency not only as a thematic and structural tool but also as a way to manage audience reception. While she made stammering entertaining, her work reveals a complex relationship with the dysfluency that shaped her worldview.