In Dewhurst's words, his audience was to recognise the “common humanity” linking the nineteenth-century villagers and the contemporary audience.
ɪn dˈuːhɜːsts wˈɜːdz, hɪz ˈɔːdiəns wʌz tə ɹˈɛkəɡnˌaɪz ðə “kˈɑːmən hjuːmˈænᵻɾi” lˈɪŋkɪŋ ðə nˈaɪntiːnθsˈɛntʃɚɹi vˈɪlɪdʒɚz ænd ðə kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi ˈɔːdiəns.