It is well known that disguise is prevalent on the web. From choices of usernames to reflect personal interests ("wineboy@aol.com"; "rover@earthlink.net"), to entrances into chatrooms, where disguise can be more ominously utilized (e.g. a middle-aged man posing as a teenage girl), the web provides many opportunities for disguise.

But the forms of disguise on the web are not random; they strongly resemble those of the masquerades of eighteenth century England. As described by Stanford Professor Terry Castle in Masquerade and Civilization (Stanford, 1986), the trends of self-exaggeration, of posing as one's opposite, of passing as the opposite sex, all parallel those of eighteenth century masquerade. The aesthetics of garish websites (flagrantly colorful backgrounds, flashing text, etc.), the anonymity achievable by email, and the chatroom provide masquerade-type forums.

The types of personas assumed by eighteenth century masqueraders also have their web counterparts. Those who simply want to erase their identities without assuming elaborate new ones resemble the "dominos", masqueradors who wore simple cloaks with masks, which obscured gender and identity without advancing a new persona.

Those internet users who actively replace their identities are often attracted to the same characters as masqueraders, such as transvestites, animals, and the devil. Castle writes that the masquerade was "a meditation on human possibility" and a more apt description could not apply to the web. Both institutions have enabled a freedom to "mix" between social classes, a linguistic licensing so that privileged language can be appropriated by the underclasses, and a rebellious group behavior: chat rooms are excellent examples of what Castle calls masquerade's "collective foreplay." (38)

Criticism of both has frequently focused on censorship issues, and some of the technical advances in software (e.g. "web nannies") addresses the issue that was often criticized about masquerade, that it provoked the decline of morality.

In exploring the relationship between masquerade and the internet, this web site will:

provide a timeline of eighteenth century masquerade and late twentieth century inventions

offer a surveythat will be incorporated into the website. Take it now!

include a linkbaseof annotated links

include an annotated bibliographyof works and sites consulted in creating the above overview, timeline, and links

comment on critical issuesand suggest questions for discussion

suggest related courses and related topicsinthe Transcriptions project or elsewhere