Literary studies: plays and playwrights Books

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES 100 NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2017Over two full years, Dromgoole, the Artistic Director of the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and the Globe players toured all seven continents, and almost 200 countries, performing the Bard's most famous play. They set their stage in sprawling refugee camps, grand Baltic palaces and heaving marketplaces - despite food poisoning in Mexico, an Ebola epidemic in West Africa and political upheaval in Ukraine. Hamlet: Globe to Globe tells the story of this unprecedented theatrical adventure, in which Dromgoole shows us the world through the prism of Shakespeare's universal drama, and asks how a 400-year-old tragedy can bring the world closer together.Trade ReviewRichly entertaining . . . His love of language is contagious . . . the storytelling segues into scholarship with extraordinary skill from the off as he ricochets the modern world with a 400-year-old text * * The Times * *Taking in sandblown refugee camps, the hallucinatory effects of performing with chronic food poisoning in Mexico City and the politically-charged atmosphere of an auditorium in Ukraine on an election's eve, it is an entertaining, moving and informative read * * Evening Standard * *Dromgoole's witty account offers insight about the play and its enduring appeal * * New York Times, 100 Notable Books of 2017 * *Full of life lessons . . . Erudite and fascinating . . . There's a real sense of the camaraderie and sheer fun of assembling a company and, quite literally, putting the show on wherever they can . . . The universal themes explored in the play take on a new and thrilling resonance, as the actors learn as much from their audiences as vice versa . . . Truly compelling * * Observer * *A delightfully idiosyncratic account of the Globe's vagabond mission to perform Hamlet in every country in the world . . . the joy of the book is Dromgoole's gusto . . . the way he meanders from personal anecdote to wider textual or cultural significance makes his book feel like a shaggy-dog documentary that you just don't want to end **** * * Daily Telegraph * *Compulsively readable * * New York Times * *Delivers sharp insights into a play Dromgoole has spent a lifetime turning over in his mind * * Guardian * *This deeply humane, consistently enthralling account of a theatrical odyssey encompasses travelogue and literary criticism, theatre history and introspective narrative, political commentary and philosophical reflection with beguiling readability -- Sir Stanley WellsDominic Dromgoole's recounting of the Globe Theatre's exhausting global tour of Hamlet is exhilarating. The playing company's intrepid journey around the world - performing Hamlet's own troubled journey - succeeds in making the familiar unfamiliar and enables in turn a deeply illuminating journey into the play itself. -- James Shapiro, author of 1599 and 1606An epic journey which explores how a 400-year-old play can help to make sense of the modern world * * Sunday Post * *Fascinating * * Spectator * *Dromgoole and his company belong in the ancient tradition of strolling players - quick-witted and wise, generous, hard-drinking and open. His book is written in that spirit. It is bold and excited, hopeful, dashing . . . By the time we reach the final show back on London's Southbank, it is a wrench to part his company * * Financial Times * *Irresistible . . . a comic epic -- Gary Taylor * * Washington Post * *The tireless Dromgoole goes on a journey that would kill most of us, and connects our greatest poet to every corner of the human experience. Utterly extraordinary -- Emma ThompsonThis is an amazing story about a bold and eye-popping journey. I loved it. Dominic Dromgoole writes about Shakespeare and touring the globe the way he ran The Globe - with passion, insight, relish and irresistible humour -- Sir Nicholas Hytner, The Artistic Director of London’s National TheatreCompelling . . . proving, as Dromgoole had hoped, that this powerful tragedy not only has the ability to transcend time but to cross borders as well * * National Geographic * *In Dromgoole's breakneck journey from a retractable-roof theater in Poland to a crammed cream-and-gold palace in Peru to a sweltering, bat-infested auditorium in Cambodia, the narrative covers an astonishing swath of world-girdling geography . . . No chronicle ever gave more compelling meaning to Shakespeare's conviction that 'all the world's a stage' * * Booklist * *[A] thoroughly enjoyable and charming story . . . Besides detailing the two-year tour itself, it's a story of the play, its themes and language, famous past players, and how it has been performed and received over the years . . . Sly, witty, and delightful - a glorious Shakespearean romp * * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * *Dromgoole is wise and witty; thoughtful, self-assured, even cocky . . . But he is never dull. His mission was to bring Hamlet to the world to show that Hamlet is the world, and he succeeded admirably. A wide readership, not just Shakespeare buffs and scholars, can enjoy this book * * Publishers Weekly * *Praise for WILL AND ME:'An absolute delight . . . utterly original and relishable' * * Sunday Times * *Friendly, inclusive, I warmed to it immediately . . . A terrific book * * Evening Standard * *Superb . . . thrillingly entertaining . . . throbs with vigour, honesty and passion * * Daily Telegraph * *Dromgoole is to the bard what Nick Hornby is to football * * Sunday Telegraph * *A record of a lifelong obsession - articulate, intelligent and passionately set down . . . Dromgoole's enthusiasm has a sincerity and warmth that are infectious * * Observer * *Irresistibly seductive * * Independent on Sunday * *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWas Shakespeare a snob? Poor Naked Wretches challenges the idea that our greatest writer despised working people, and shows that he portrayed them with as much insight, compassion and purpose as the rich and powerful. Moreover, they play an important role in his dramatic method. Stephen Unwin reads Shakespeare anew, exploring the astonishing variety of working people in his plays, as well as the vast range of cultural sources from which they were drawn. Unwin argues that the robust realism of these characters, their independence of mind and their engagement in the great issues of the day, makes them much more than mere ‘comic relief’. Compassionate, cogent and wry, Poor Naked Wretches grants these often-overlooked figures the dignity and respect they deserve.

Read more less

Book Synopsis Memory and commemoration play a vital role not only in the work of Shakespeare, but also in the process that has made him a world author. As the contributors of this collection demonstrate, the phenomenon of commemoration has no single approach, as it occurs on many levels, has a long history, and is highly unpredictable in its manifestations. With an international focus and a comparative scope that explores the afterlives also of other artists, this volume shows the diverse modes of commemorative practices involving Shakespeare. Delving into these “cultures of commemoration,” it presents keen insights into the dynamics of authorship, literary fame, and afterlives in its broader socio-historical contexts.Table of Contents Introduction: Shakespeare and the Cultures of Commemoration Ton Hoenselaars and Clara Calvo Chapter 1. Acting as an Epitaph: Performing Commemoration in the Shakespearean History Play Emily Shortslef Chapter 2. From Jubilee to Gala: Remembrance and Ritual Commemoration Robert Sawyer Chapter 3. Shakespeare Remembered Graham Holderness Chapter 4. American Shakespeare Clubs and Commemoration Katherine Scheil Chapter 5. Shakespeare and ‘Native Americans’: Forging Identities through the 1916 Shakespeare Tercentenary Monika Smialkowska Chapter 6. The Disciplines of War, Memory, and Writing: Shakespeare’s Henry V and David Jones’s In Parenthesis Adrian Poole Chapter 7. Monumental Play: Commemoration, Post-war Britain, and History Cycles Anita M. Hagerman Afterword: The Seeds of Time Graham Holderness

Read more less

Book Synopsis As the site of literary pilgrimage since the eighteenth century, the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the topic of hundreds of imaginary portrayals, Stratford is ripe for analysis, both in terms of its factual existence and its fictional afterlife. The essays in this volume consider the various manifestations of the physical and metaphorical town on the Avon, across time, genre and place, from America to New Zealand, from children’s literature to wartime commemorations. We meet many Stratfords in this collection, real and imaginary, and the interplay between the two generates new visions of the place.Table of Contents Preface Katherine Scheil Chapter 1. Helen Faucit and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1879 Christy Desmet Chapter 2. Secret Stratford: Shakespeare’s Hometown in Recent Young Adult Fiction Susanne Greenhalgh Chapter 3. Stratfordian Perambulations; or, Walking with Shakespeare Julie Sanders Chapter 4. Shakespeare’s Church and the Pilgrim Fathers: Commemorating Plymouth Rock in Stratford Clara Calvo Chapter 5. Importing Stratford Katherine Scheil Afterword: ‘Dear Shakespeare-land’: Investing in Stratford Nicola J. Watson

Read more less

Book Synopsis As the site of literary pilgrimage since the eighteenth century, the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the topic of hundreds of imaginary portrayals, Stratford is ripe for analysis, both in terms of its factual existence and its fictional afterlife. The essays in this volume consider the various manifestations of the physical and metaphorical town on the Avon, across time, genre and place, from America to New Zealand, from children’s literature to wartime commemorations. We meet many Stratfords in this collection, real and imaginary, and the interplay between the two generates new visions of the place.Table of Contents Preface Katherine Scheil Chapter 1. Helen Faucit and the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, 1879 Christy Desmet Chapter 2. Secret Stratford: Shakespeare’s Hometown in Recent Young Adult Fiction Susanne Greenhalgh Chapter 3. Stratfordian Perambulations; or, Walking with Shakespeare Julie Sanders Chapter 4. Shakespeare’s Church and the Pilgrim Fathers: Commemorating Plymouth Rock in Stratford Clara Calvo Chapter 5. Importing Stratford Katherine Scheil Afterword: ‘Dear Shakespeare-land’: Investing in Stratford Nicola J. Watson

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile the infamous Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris closed its doors in 1962, the particular form of horror theatre it spawned lives on and has, moreover, witnessed something of a resurgence over the past twenty years. During its heyday it inspired many imitators, though none quite as successful as the Montmartre-based original. In more recent times, new Grand-Guignol companies the world over have emerged to reimagine the form for a new generation of audiences. This book, the fourth volume in University of Exeter Press’s series on the Grand-Guignol by Richard J. Hand and Michael Wilson, examines the ongoing influence and legacy of the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol through an appraisal of its contemporary imitators and modern reincarnations. As with the previous volumes, Grand-Guignolesque consists of a lengthy critical introduction followed by a series of previously unpublished scripts, each with its own contextualizing preface. The effect thereof is to map the evolution of horror theatre over the past 120 years, asking where the influence of the Grand-Guignol is most visible today, and what might account for its recent resurgence. This book will be of interest not only to the drama student, theatre historian and scholar of popular theatre, but also to the theatre practitioner, theatregoer and horror fan.Trade ReviewOne of the things I like about it is the absence of the verbosity that sometimes ruins academic writing; Hand and Wilson write snappily and makes their points clearly...All in all, a very interesting book - I learned a good deal from it. -- Martin Edwards, crime writer and crime fiction criticTable of ContentsContents Preface Chapter 1. Establishing the Grand-Guignolesque Chapter 2. The Grand-Guignol’s Contemporary Imitators and Competitors Chapter 3: The New Wave Chapter 4: Afterword Appendix: The Molotov Manifesto, or Acting Grand Guignol, Molotov Style Thirteen Plays of Grand-Guignol and the Grand-Guignolesque Professor Verdier’s Operations (Les Opérations du Professeur Verdier, 1907) by Élie de Bassan Short Circuit (Le Court-Circuit, 1916) by Benjamin Rabier and Eugène Joullot The Little House at Auteuil (La Petite Maison D’Auteuil, 1917) by Robert Scheffer and Georges Lignereux The Unhinged (Les Détraquées, 1924) by Palau and Olaf The Eyes of the Phantom (Les Yeux du Spectre, 1924) by Jean Aragny The Lover of Death (L’Amant de Mort, 1925) by Maurice Renard Orgy in the Lighthouse (L’Orgie dans le phare, 1956) adapted by Eddie Muller from Alfred Machard’s play The Sticking Place (2008) by Lucas Maloney and Michael McMahon, with Alex Zavistovich A Room With No View (2009) by James Comtois The Ghost Hunter (2013) by Stewart Pringle We’ll Fix It! (2013) by Les Williams Leviticus: Evil Resides Within (2014) by Antonio Rimola Abel Hartmann's Grand-Guignol: A History of Violence (2015) by Dreamcatcher Horror Theatre Bibliography Webography Index

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWilliam Congreve was deeply involved in the events of his turbulent times. That involvement reveals itself in works which have sometimes been regarded as entirely unengaged with the realities of his society. This book attempts to read Congreve’s plays and his novella, Incognita, against the political and social upheaval of the period initiated by the rebellion of 1688. A strong supporter of the new world ushered in by William III and Mary, Congreve fought against the reactionary politics of the Jacobite opposition.Trade Review“Novak offers new readings of Congreve while grounding his argument not only in a thorough understanding of the social, political, ethical and religious conflicts of Congreve’s decade of writing for the stage but also in the best historical scholarship of the period and the best literary criticism of Congreve of the last ninety years.”—Kevin J. Gardner, Professor and Department Chair, Baylor English Department, Baylor University, USA“Imaginary Plots and Political Realities in the Plays of William Congreve is an engaging book that makes a significant contribution to Restoration and eighteenth-century studies. Congreve has been ignored too often in recent work on the late seventeenth-century theatre, and Novak’s study should help to remedy this situation by reminding his readers of the dramatist’s crucial role in the stage politics of the 1690s.”—Robert Markley, W. D. and Sara E. Trowbridge Professor, University of Illinois, USA“The book, with its fine-grained attention to the changing political and social circumstances of the 1690s, the decade during which Congreve’s dramatic career unfolded, reads as a synthesis of a career’s worth of thought about the playwright, with fresh perspectives and a clarifying specificity of focus, especially on the question of politics.”—James Noggle, Marion Butler McLean Professor in the History of Ideas and Professor of English, Wellesley College, USATable of ContentsAcknowledgements; List of illustrations; Foreword; Chapter 1, The politics of love, marriage and scandal in Congreve’s world; Chapter 2, Incognita and some problems in morality and epistemology; Chapter 3, The “fashionable cutt of the town” and William Congreve’s The Old Batchelor; Chapter 4, Political and moral double-dealing in Congreve’s The Double Dealer; Chapter 5, Foresight in the stars and scandal in London: Reading the hieroglyphics in Congreve’s Love for Love; Chapter 6, The failure of perception in Congreve’s The Mourning Bride; Chapter 7, Politics and Congreve’s The Way of the World; Afterword; Works Cited; Index.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe ludic element of drama in the Middle Ages - or drama with early subject matter - is here to the fore. Medieval English Theatre is the premier journal in early theatre studies. Its name belies its wide range of interest: it publishes articles on theatre and pageantry from across the British Isles up to the opening of the London playhouses and the suppression of the civic mystery cycles, and also includes contributions on European and Latin drama, together with analyses of modern survivals or equivalents, and of research productions of medieval plays. This edition combines, perhaps unexpectedly, royalty and games. Games of all kinds, from jousting and "Christmas games" to those usually associated with children, are shown, it is suggested, to be more than they at first appear. Apparently run-of-the-mill entertainments, when presented to the court by the Londoners, by the court to a visiting emperor , or by the retainers of royalty and nobility to the general public for commercial gain, turn out to have unexpected political resonances; while the potential underlying sadism of children's games gains a horrific immediacy when diverted to the torturing of Christ. Even today, the musical SIX says a great deal more about royalty and role-playing than initially might appear, especially when set against eye-witness accounts of the first meeting of Anna of Cleves with Henry VIII, and what modern novelists have made of it . In the process we learn a great deal more about the detail of these games, from the maskerie costumes of James VI and Anna of Denmark to the elaborate fantasy challenges of the jousters in 1400/1401, which incidentally suggest that fourteenth-century court culture, whose language was Anglo-French, is a major missing link in the history of what is usually treated as purely English literature. Contributors: Philip Bennett, Philip Butterworth, Sarah Carpenter, Elisabeth Dutton, James Forse, Gordon Kipling, Michael Pearce, Meg Twycross.Table of ContentsThe Prince of Peace and the Mummers: Richard II and the Londoners' Visit of 1376/1377 - Meg Twycross Chivalric Entertainment at the Court of Henry IV: The Jousting Letters of 1401 - Sarah Carpenter Appendix (Meg Twycross and Philip Bennett): Transcription and Translation of BL MS Cotton Nero D II fols 260v-262r 'Maskerye claythis' for James VI and Anna of Denmark - Michael Pearce Peers and Performers in the Reign of Henry VI - James H. Forse 'That Gam Me Thoght Was Good!': Structuring Games into Medieval English Plays - Philip Butterworth Feminism, Theatre, and Historical Fiction: Anna of Cleves in 2021 - Elisabeth Dutton

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book explores how Edwardian art writing shaped and narrated embodied, performative forms of aesthetic spectatorship. It argues that we need to expand the range of texts we think of as art writing, and features a diverse array of critical and fictional works, often including texts that are otherwise absent from art-historical study. Multi-disciplinary in scope, this book proposes a methodology for analyzing the aesthetic encounter within and through art writing, adapting and reworking a form of phenomenological-semiotic analysis found conventionally in performance studies. It focuses on moments where theories of spectatorship meet practice, moving between the varied spaces of Edwardian art viewing, from the critical text, to the lecture hall, the West End theatre and gallery, middle-class home, and fictional novel. It contributes to a rethinking of Edwardian culture by exploring the intriguing heterogeneity and self-consciousness of viewing practices in a period more commonly associated with the emergence of formalism.Table of Contents1. Introduction: An Invitation.- 2. Characterising the Viewer.- 3. Spectatorship and Ekphrasis.- 4. Staging Spectatorship.- 5. Staging Art.- 6. Domesticity, Decoration and Role Play.- 7. Conclusion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisShaw emerged as a playwright in the politically charged environment of 1892, for both female suffrage and Irish independence. His plays quickly advocated for societal changes with regard to women’s roles, while expanding this advocacy into considerations of Ireland. Shaw’s engagement with marriage and union as a personal contract with nationhood have never before been considered as a methodology with which to view his work. This book demonstrates that Shaw was deeply engaged with and committed to the Irish question and to social and gender issues.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Women, Nation, Enablement, and the Irish Question2. The Opposing Strata of Feminism: Widowers’ Houses and Mrs Warren’s Profession3. The Marriage of Change: Candida & Getting Married4. John Bull, Nora Reilly and the Garden City: A Match Made in Heaven5. The Wild West Meets the West End

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book analyzes recent physics plays, arguing that their enaction of concepts from the sciences they discuss alters the nature of the decisions made by the characters, changing the ethical judgements that might be cast on them. Recent physics plays regularly alter the shape of space-time itself, drawing together disparate moments, reversing the flow of time, creating apparent contradictions, and iterating scenes for multiple branches of counterfactual history. With these changes both causality and responsibility shift, variously. The roles of iconic scientists, such as Albert Einstein and Werner Heisenberg, are interrogated for their dramatic value, placing history and dramatic license in tension. Cold War strategies and the limits of espionage highlight the emphatically personal involvement of ordinary individuals. This study is vital reading for those interested in physics plays and the relationship between the sciences and the humanities.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Ethics and Physics in Contemporary Plays.- 2. Playing Nuclear War: Learning Postmodern War from Modern Physics.- 3. Relativistic Intertextuality: Einstein as a Figure.- 4. What You Don’t Know Is Going to Hurt Like Hell: Knowledge, Power, and the Faustian Bargain.- 5. Torn Palimpsest and Recycled Time: Copenhagen and Conclusion.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisSome Assembly Required, Eugene Stickland's lighthearted but deeply moving portrayal of a dysfunctional family at Christmas, was first produced in 1994 at Alberta Theatre Projects; it has enjoyed dozens of productions across North America since then. In 1995, Some Assembly Required was a finalist for the Governor General's Award in Drama. This re-issue incorporates a number of small revisions, and includes a new introduction by the author.Trade Review“An outstanding comedy.” — The Globe and Mail“As entertaining a look at the North American holiday ritual as we are likely to find.” — The Calgary Herald

Read more less

Book SynopsisGitha Sowerby's Rutherford and Son took the London theatre by storm in 1912. Following its triumphant run, the play toured to New York, was produced throughout England, and was translated and staged in multiple European locations. Yet Sowerby's initial theatrical success would not be repeated, despite her composition of additional plays performed over the following decade, and two more in the 1930s. With historical hindsight, we can see Sowerby's experience as comparable to that of many other women writers who struggled to achieve lasting recognition, especially when their work was perceived as critiquing the political, cultural, and economic forces restricting women's lives. With the acclaimed revival of Rutherford at the National Theatre in 1994, and the efforts by feminist scholars and theatre artists to rediscover the work of such forgotten women writers, Sowerby and her dramas have secured renewed interest. This Broadview edition will provide teachers, students, and artists with important historical contexts for Sowerby's dramas, and will demonstrate the ongoing cogency of these dynamic, insightful, and engaging plays.Trade Review“This collection is a revelation. It brings a new awareness of the full range of Sowerby’s playwriting, including her groundbreaking play Rutherford and Son and two others that few will have encountered. Through J. Ellen Gainor’s skillful editing and expertise, the book also shows what riches can emerge when theatre scholars join forces with theatre makers to recover ‘neglected’ plays and illuminate their continued relevance to our own times. Here is an outstanding example of the vital role of performance in the recovery of ‘lost’ play texts.” — Kirsten E. Shepherd-Barr, University of Oxford“This edition of Githa Sowerby’s plays is a fantastic opportunity for students, researchers, and the general reader to engage with the work of this important but underrated Edwardian playwright. With its inclusion of introductory and critical editorials for each of the plays and an extensive range of original review materials, this rich volume provides an exemplary model. Once again, Broadview has commissioned an excellent edition that both brings to life the work of a marginalized playwright and will stand the tests of time.” — Maggie B. Gale, University of Manchester“Although they were recognized in their day for their adroit craft and social acuity, until recent successful revivals, Githa Sowerby’s plays remained largely neglected. In this carefully curated edition of three of her more enduring works, J. Ellen Gainor deftly guides the reader through their contexts and critical reception. Sowerby should be regarded as a modern political dramatist of the first order, and in making these plays available for a wide readership, Gainor recuperates an important figure for feminist and theatre histories.” — Brad Kent, Laval UniversityTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Githa Sowerby: A Brief Chronology A Note on the TextsRutherford and Son Introduction Rutherford and Son: A Play in Three ActsA Man and Some Women Introduction A Man and Some Women: A Play in Three ActsThe Stepmother Introduction The Stepmother: A Play in a Prologue and Three ActsAppendix A: The Fabian Context 1. From Bernard Shaw, 'Preface to the 1908 Reprint,' Fabian Essays (1908) 2. From William Archer, 'Fabianism and the Drama,' The New Age (3-24 October 1908) Appendix B: The Feminist Context 1. From Woman (26 September 1894) 2. From C. Morgan-Dockrell, 'Is the New Woman a Myth?,' The Humanitarian (January-June 1896) 3. From Arabella Kenealy, 'The Dignity of Love,' The Humanitarian (January-June 1896) 4. From Cicely Hamilton, Marriage as a Trade (1909) Appendix C: The Economic Context 1. From Louise Creighton, 'The Employment of Educated Women,' The Nineteenth Century (November 1901) 2. From 'Statistics of Women's Employment,' The Review of Reviews (July 1905) 3. From M.[abel] A.[tkinson], The Economic Foundations of the Women's Movement (June 1914) Appendix D: The Theatrical Context 1. Rutherford and Son: First Performance and Cast List 2. Rutherford and Son: Critical Reception a. Phil Farnum, 'Fame in a Day' b. 'A New Playwright: Remarkable Achievement by K.G. Sowerby,' Westminster Gazette (1 February 1912) c. E.A. Baughan, 'A New Dramatist: ‘Rutherford and Son' at the Court' d. 'Miss Sowerby's Silence' e. J.W., '‘Rutherford and Son' at the Royal Court Theatre,' Westminster Gazette (1 February 1912) f. 'Royal Court Theatre,' London Times (2 February 1912) g. 'Our Point of View: Woman Wins,' The Vote (10 February 1912) h. 'The Little Theatre,' London Times (19 March 1912) i. R.P., 'A New Woman Playwright,' Votes for Women (29 March 1912) j. From John Palmer, '‘Rutherford and Son'' Saturday Review (30 March 1912) k. C.N.B., '‘Rutherford and Son' a Great Suffrage Play,' The Vote (20 July 1912) l. From Emma Goldman, The Social Significance of the Modern Drama (1914) 3. G.S. Street, 'Licensing Note' for Githa Sowerby, 'A Man and Some Women' (13 October 1914) 4. A Man and Some Women: First Performance and Cast List 5. A Man and Some Women: Critical Reception a. From 'New Plays at the Gaiety,' Manchester Courier (27 October 1914) b. From 'New Play at the Gaiety,' Manchester Despatch (26 October 1914) c. From H.[arold] B.[righouse], 'Gaiety Theatre: Two New Plays,' Manchester Guardian (27 October 1914) d. From 'The Gaiety,' Manchester Weekly Times (1 November 1914) e. From 'A Man and Some Women,' Sunday Chronicle (1 November 1914) 6. The Stepmother: First Performance and Cast List 7. The Stepmother Critical Reception a. 'The Stepmother,' The Era (16 January 1924) b. '‘The Stepmother' by Ghita [sic] Sowerby,' Illustrated London News (26 January 1924) c. 'The Stepmother' d. E.A.B.[aughan], '‘The Stepmother': New Drama Produced by The Play Actors' e. S.R.L., 'The Stepmother,' Referee (20 January 1924) Works Cited and Select Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Spanish Tragedy became one of the most successful plays on the Elizabethan English stage and laid the foundation of the revenge tragedy, a genre that playwrights returned to throughout the early modern era and that endures even today. The story surrounds the civil servant Hieronimo who joins Bel-imperia of the royal family to take revenge on her own brother for murdering Hieronimo's son, the object of her affection. The work goes far beyond a story of intrigue and brings up questions about aristocratic privilege, the moral hazards of revenge, the spectacle of violence, and the agency of women at court.This Broadview Edition includes a freshly edited text based on the 1592 edition, notes designed to help first-time readers understand and enjoy the work, an extensive introduction that situates the play in its literary and historical context, and extensive historical documents. The documents open up avenues of inquiry for students interested in the life and work of Thomas Kyd, the construction of women at court, the question of revenge, violence and entertainment in Elizabethan England, and Spain in the Elizabethan imagination.Trade Review“This is a superb edition of The Spanish Tragedy — a work of exemplary scholarship and sensitive critical intelligence. The notes and annotations are admirably clear and informative, and the introduction to Thomas Kyd’s enigmatic life and work is enthralling and illuminating. As well as providing us with a fresh, updated play text, Patrick McHenry gives us a vivid account of the political and cultural background to this great, foundational work of revenge tragedy. Readers of this edition of the play will be rewarded with abundant critical insights and thought-provoking commentary.” — Stephen Regan, Durham University“This foundational text of Renaissance drama and cultural history has been conservatively edited, helpfully glossed, and well annotated. In addition, a judicious selection of background materials (on revenge, honor, and forgiveness; Elizabethan blood lust; female agency; and Elizabethan perception of the Spanish temperament) makes this an excellent all-round edition for classroom use.” — Raymond-Jean Frontain, University of Central ArkansasTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionThomas Kyd: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextThe Spanish TragedyAppendix A: Additional Passages of 1602Appendix B: Documents in the Life of Thomas Kyd From Richard Mulcaster, Positions (1581) Letter from Queen Elizabeth’s Privy Council (11 May 1593) Thomas Kyd, Two Letters to Sir John Puckering (1593) Thomas Kyd, Dedication to Robert Garnier’s Cornelia (1594) Appendix C: The Question of Revenge From the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans From Seneca, Thyestes (first century CE) From “A Sermon against Contention and Brawling” (1547) From Richard Jones, The Book of Honor and Arms (1590) From William Westerman, Two Sermons of Assize (1600) From Ben Jonson, Introduction to Bartholomew Fair (1614) Sir Francis Bacon, “Of Revenge” (1625) Appendix D: Violence and Entertainment in Elizabethan England From Robert Langham, A Letter (1575) From William Harrison, Description of England (1586) From Philip Stubbes, The Anatomy of Abuses (1595) John Norden, Map of London (1593) The Triple Tree at Tyburn Appendix E: The Social Construction of Women at Court From Baldesar Castiglione, The Book of the Courtier (1528) From Juan Luis Vives, Instruction of Christian Women (1529) Queen Elizabeth’s Armada Speech to the Troops at Tilbury (9 August 1588) Lady Arbella Stuart, Letter to King James (c. December 1610) From Elizabeth Cary, The Tragedy of Mariam (1613) Appendix F: Spain in Elizabethan Culture From Richard Hakluyt, A Discourse on Western Planting (1584) From A Fig for the Spaniard (1591) From Sir Walter Raleigh, A Report of the Truth of the Fight about the Iles of Azores (1591) Works Cited and Further Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe titular “Roaring Girl” of Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker’s comedy is Moll Cutpurse, a fictionalized version of Mary Frith, who attained legendary status in London by flouting gendered dress conventions, illegally performing onstage, and engaging in all manner of transgressive behavior from smoking and swearing to stealing. In the course of The Roaring Girl’s lively and complex plot of seduction and clever ruses, Moll shares her views on gender and sexuality, defends her honor in a duel, and demonstrates her knowledge of London’s criminal underworld. This edition of the play offers an informative introduction, thorough annotation, and a substantial selection of contextual materials from the period.Trade Review“With its uncompromising cross-dressed heroine, and its cheerful disregard for conventional sexual mores, The Roaring Girl offers a winning specimen of early modern London’s screwball comedy. Kelly Stage’s terrific edition brings the play’s rollicking schemes into sharp focus through clear accounts of its colorful language and historical references, juxtaposed with contemporary writings on cross-dressing, criminals, tobacco, and the real Moll Frith. This is a welcome resource for first-time readers and scholars alike.” — Tanya Pollard, Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York“Providing a nuanced and contextually sensitive introduction, Kelly Stage’s excellent edition of The Roaring Girl will prove immensely valuable to undergraduate and graduate students alike. Especially useful is Stage’s careful discussion of clothing transgression in relation to the complex gender and socioeconomic dynamics that shaped the play’s composition and staging. The text includes extensive and detailed explanatory notes that will help students and newcomers unpackage what can be a challenging play. The edition concludes with an array of contemporary historical documents that offer contextual background on issues relating to cross-dressing, theater life, criminality, and material culture.” — Matthew Kendrick, William Paterson University Table of Contents Introduction The Roaring Girl or Moll Cutpurse In Context A. On Mary Frith’s Life 1. from the Consistory Court of London Correction Book, 27 January 1611/12 2. The Last Will and Testament of Mary Markham, Alias Mary Frith (1659) B. On Theater, Gender, and Cross-Dressing 1. from Stephen Gosson, Plays Confuted in Five Actions, Proving that they are not to be suffered in a Christian Commonweal (1582) 2. from anonymous, The Life of Long Meg of Westminster, containing the mad merry pranks she played in her lifetime, not only in performing sundry quarrels with diverse ruffians about London: but also how valiantly she behaved herself in wars of Boulogne (1620, revised 1635) 3. from anonymous, Hic Mulier: or, The Man-Woman: Being a Medicine to Cure the Coltish Disease of the Staggers in the Masculine-Feminines of our Time (1620) 4. anonymous, Haec-Vir: or, The Womanish-Man (1620) C. On Criminals 1. from Thomas Harman, A Caveat for Common Cursitors, Vulgarly Called Vagabonds (1566, revised 1567/68) 2. from Thomas Dekker, The Bellman of London Bringing to Light the Most Notorious Villainies That Are Now Practised in the Kingdom (1608) D. On Tobacco 1. from anonymous, “A Merry Progress to London to see Fashions, by a young Country Gallant, that had more Money than Wit” (1615) 2. from King James I, A Counterblast to Tobacco (1604) Further Reading

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis exciting second edition provides an exceptional range of plays edited by leading scholars of Restoration and eighteenth-century theatre. In addition to fifteen plays from the first edition are four new plays and one new afterpiece: Nathaniel Lee?s The Rival Queens, John Vanbrugh?s The Provoked Wife, David Garrick?s Miss in Her Teens, Richard Cumberland?s The West Indian, and Elizabeth Inchbald?s Such Things Are. Every play now features an engaging headnote and a fully edited dramatis personae, prologue, and epilogue. The innovative introduction plunges its readers into the experience of playgoing in London, and the second edition also features supplementary texts, including select actor and actress biographies and theatrical documents that provide a vivid cultural context.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis accessible edition for students brings the Agamemnon, Aeschylus'' opening play in the Oresteia trilogy, to life for first-time readers. A hugely popular play in antiquity and with a rich reception history to the present day, this is an essential play for students of classics, drama and the canon of western literature. Leah Himmelhoch provides a helpful guide for students and instructors wishing to study and teach the play, building on her over twenty-five years of experience teaching college and university students. A quick introduction sets out Agamemnons historical, literary, and performative context, its use of imagery and themes (especially gender conflict and the perversion of sacrificial ritual), and its subsequent literary and cultural impact while extensive commentary notes guide students through every line of the Greek text. Difficult passages are carefully explained while the power and beauty of the language is brought out at every opportunity. HimmTable of ContentsIntroduction Text Commentary Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisA Topsy-Turvy World presents English translations of shorter late Ming and early Qing plays. Satirical and often earthy, these mostly one-act plays provide a glimpse of Chinese daily life and mores even as they question or subvert the boundaries of social, moral, and political order.Trade ReviewThis treasure box of eleven short plays, most available in English for the first time, will delight anyone interested in early modern Chinese drama, culture, and society. Ranging from Buddhist charades to human puppet shows, from sword dances to drag masquerades, these thematically diverse and inventive plays are admirably translated with erudition and panache. -- Judith Zeitlin, author of The Phantom Heroine: Ghosts and Gender in Seventeenth-Century Chinese LiteratureA splendid expansion of the canon of traditional Chinese drama translations—the short plays offer a riotous deep dive into a world of laughter, while the scholarly commentary succinctly explores some of the fault lines of the early modern imagination. -- Patricia Sieber, coeditor of How to Read Chinese Drama in Chinese A Language CompanionA brilliant collection of rare and original works that provides a broad and varied view of Chinese performance traditions. The dominant leitmotif of these translations is the ingenuity and audacity with which writers subvert convention while questioning the sociopolitical order. -- Regina Llamas, translator of Top Graduate Zhang Xie: The Earliest Extant Chinese Southern PlayZaju plays of the Ming and Qing dynasties have long been a neglected area both in China and elsewhere. For that reason, this anthology is a timely translation. It provides new materials not only for general readers interested in premodern Chinese zaju plays but also for students and scholars to engage in further studies of the genre. -- Hongchu Fu, author of Chinese DramaTable of ContentsIntroductionTable of Dynasties1. Cracking a Dumb Chan Riddle2. The Mad Drummer: Thrice-Played Yuyang3. Chan Master Yu Has a Dream of Cuixiang4. Real Puppets5. Sublime Jokes from the Back of Beyond6. Pinning Flowers in His Coiffure7. A Song for a Laugh8. Ramblings with Magicians in Lyrics and Songs9. Black and White Donkeys10. Zaju from the Studio of Singing on the Wind11. Song of Dragon Well TeaAppendix: A List of Short Plays from the Period 1400 to 1850 Already Available in English TranslationContributorsReferences

Read more less

Book SynopsisWithout Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803), we simply would not understand Shakespeare in the way we do. In fact, much literature and art besides Shakespeare would neither look the same nor be the same without the influence of Herder's "Shakespeare" (1773). This book presents a translation of "Shakespeare".Trade Review"Leaping over centuries, [Herder] cast Shakespeare as the heir of Sophocles (making himself the heir of Aristotle), and an inspiration for a new Northern European art. . . . It still reads as a charmingly enthusiastic defence of what would become familiar terms of Romanticism and reminds us that the call to do things with German literature and theatre was couched in terms of doing things with Shakespeare."---Ruth Morse, Times Literary Supplement"Moore and Princeton University Press should be credited for making this influential German philosopher's study available in English to Shakespearean scholars."---Paul Whitfield White, Studies in English Literature 1500-1900"This new edition of Herder's essay on Shakespeare, energetically translated by Gregory Moore . . . presents the piece full of life, with exclamations and big rhetorical questions abounding."---Daniel Hahn, Around the Globe"Herder's essay is in its own right an intriguing read. Its re-examination of the development of tragedy should be of interest for any student of literature, as should its discussion of grandeur and catharsis in Aristotle. Moore's translation reads well, and is often impressively graceful. . . . [T]his is a pleasant edition of a historically important essay."---Lisa Marie Anderson, European Legacy"In one fell swoop Herder heralded the approach of Romanticism and the arrival of a distinctly modern from of aesthetic appreciation. Shakespeare was truly a 'milestone in the development of liberary theory,' and this new volume makes this important work available to a broad audience in a compact and affordable package." * World Book Industry *

Read more less

Book SynopsisPropuestas para (re)construir una nación explores how Emilia Pardo Bazán (1851–1921) imagines and engenders the Spanish nation in her theatrical production staged and/or published between 1898 and 1909. In the aftermath of Spain's colonial losses, when Spain's male authors, in a growing mood of collective introspection, directed their attention to the homeland, Pardo Bazán generated a series of theatrical proposals to revitalize the nation. In her plays, she manifests her ideas about Spain's fin de siècle crisis, reflects on Spain's place in the international arena (emphasizing the nation's civilizing mission), critiques the intoxicating power of the so-called golden legend (Spain's glorious past), and sees the origin of the nation's hardship in the lack of education of its inhabitants and in the inequality between men and women. Pardo Bazán's vision of Spain is forward looking,and she imagines a future in which new social configurations will be possible. Instead of locating her plays in an ancestral Castile, she situates several ofher works in her native Galicia. For the author, Spain's regional issues are inseparable from the country's national issues and these can all be traced back to the woman question. The playwright appeals to the spectators/readers' reasonand emotions in order to let them think and feel that the problems the nation faces can all be attributed to the Spanish men. For Pardo Bazán, Spain's potential for national regeneration resides in the inner strength of women. In cross-fire with the main male players in the literary field of her time, Pardo Bazán offers her critique of national decadence in plays that cleverly subvert a broad range of by then outdated theatrical conventions, and that introduce the public to new currents of theatrical innovation (Ibsen, Maeterlinck, d'Annunzio). Propuestas offers a new perspective on the participation of female authors in the contentious debate about the Spanish nation. Pardo Bazán's theater is an overlooked area in the author's extensive creative production, and Propuestas challenges the so often repeated topic of the backwardness of the Spanish stage and the alleged lack of innovation during the fin de siècle.Table of Contents Prefacio Introducción: El teatro de Emilia Pardo Bazán Capítulo uno: El vestido de boda (1898). Mujer y nación en un monólogo teatral Capítulo dos: Destino y muerte en La Suerte (1904) y La Muerte de la Quimera (1905) Capítulo tres: Violencia, perversidad y horror en Verdad (1906) Capítulo cuatro: Cuesta abajo (1906) y el problema de España Capítulo cinco: De/Regeneratión en El becerro de metal (1906) Capítulo seis: Juventud o las (des)ilusiones del deseo (1909) Capítulo siete: Imperio, darwinismo y responsabilidad moral en Las raíces (1909) Epílogo: La Malinche (esbozo de un drama) Apéndices Apéndice uno: Artículos escritos por Emilia Pardo Bazán y consultados en este estudio Apéndice dos: Las obras teatrales de Emilia Pardo Bazán comentadas en este libro Notas Obras citadas Índice alfabético

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis collection by Teresa Palomo Acosta—poet, historian, author, and activist—spans three decades of her writing, from 1988 through 2018. The collection is divided into four parts: poems, essays, a children’s story, and plays. Each work addresses cultural, historical, political, and gender realities that she experienced from her childhood to the present.The plays, set in the Central Texas Blackland Prairies where Acosta was raised, provide a unique Latina vision of memory, identity, and experience and are a vital contribution to Chicana feminist thought. The essays focus on Acosta’s literary heroes Jovita GonzÁlez de Mireles, Sara Estela RamÍrez, and Elena Zamora O’Shea, important writers who contributed significantly to Tejana literature and to Texas letters. The children’s story, “Colchas, Colchitas,” is based on Acosta’s most notable poem, “My Mother Pieced Quilts,” which pays homage to her mother and the many women of her generation who employed needles and thread, creating both practical and symbolic artifacts.This collection is a creative and, indeed, essential expansion of boundaries for what we think of as history, offering a unique and compelling look into the lived experiences and interior contemplations of a Texas artist well worth knowing. Readers will increase their understanding of Tejana experience in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Tejanaland promises to become an important addition to the cultural record, informing historical perspectives on the experiences of Tejana women and contributing significantly to the existing body of work from Tejana writers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisJulius Caesar is one of William Shakespeare's most famous and important plays, and one of the most frequently taught, especially in high schools. Dealing with one of the most significant events in the history of Rome, the assassination of Julius Caesar and the subsequent end of the Roman Republic, the play has been performed and filmed numerous times. This volume examines the play from many different perspectives, including historical, aesthetic, and comparative points of view, among others, to add to the ongoing lively conversation the play has always stimulated.

Read more less

Book SynopsisNo Fear Shakespeare gives you the complete text of Romeo and Juliet on the left-hand page, side-by-side with an easy-to-understand translation on the right. Each No Fear Shakespeare contains: The complete text of the original play A line-by-line translation that puts Shakespeare into everyday language A complete list of characters with descriptions Plenty of helpful commentary. The famous tale of star-crossed lovers.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHysterical Laughter: Four Ancient Comedies about Women exhibits many of the interdisciplinary qualities that characterize teaching in the Classics. It is an innovative text that takes two important subfields of Classics-literature and gender studies-and brings them together into a new synthesis that provides instructors with a new and creative way to explore key issues into each of these disciplines. Instructors who teach courses in ancient comedy or drama are looking for ways to show students the social and cultural dimensions of theater. And instructors who teach courses on women or sexuality in the ancient world will want to use one of the most important sources we have from the classical world-comedy-as a way to show students how gender roles were constructed in ancient societies. There are many anthologies of Greek and Roman drama. There are many translations of say, Lysistrata, one of the most famous comedies of the ancient world. There are several books that examine women in antiquity. But Christenson''s is the first volume that uses a literary genre--comedy--as a vehicle to explore another field (women/gender/sexuality). The results are immensely creative and open up new teaching avenues for instructors. Christenson''s volume provides all new translations (all translated by Christenson) of four ancient comedies, two Greek and two Roman, that question classical stereotypes about women and challenge configurations of gender in ancient society. Lysistrata (Aristophanes), Samia (Menander), Casina (Plautus), and Hecyra (Terence)-each regarded as among the finest classical comedies-illustrate the possibilities of theater as an agent for gender awareness and expose traditional feminine roles in real life as social constructions, asking students to assess the cultural and historical position of theater in ancient society.Trade ReviewHysterical Laughter features four classic Greek and Roman plays - Lysistrata, Samia, Casina, and Hecyra each starring strong female characters. Each play is an excellent example of these great playwrights' work, and juxtaposing them brings out both similarities and differences in their ideas and their stagecraft. As the author demonstrates, each play challenges its society's ideas about women and gender roles, using hilarious comic techniques. The translations are close, but very lively, boldly including the originals' vulgarity and even obscenity; they ought to be staged as well as read. The introductions, informed by the latest scholarship, provide information about women in the ancient world and the original performance conditions; the notes are succinct and helpful, the bibliographies excellent. This book will be ideal in classical studies, history, theater, and women's studies classes. * Mary-Kay Gamel, University of California, Santa Cruz *Table of ContentsTable of Contents: ; About The Translator ; Preface ; Introduction ; DT Greek Old Comedy ; DT Greek New Comedy ; DT Roman Comedy ; DT Women In The Ancient World ; Aristophanes' Lysistrata ; Lysistrata ; Menader's Samia ; Samia. ; Plautus' Casina ; Casina ; Terence's Hecyra ; Hecyra ; Appendix: Olympian Deities

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe fact is that some of us like women and some like men and that's fine that's good in fact that's good, a good thing, but it seems to me that you've become confused.John is happy in himself, and with his boyfriend, until one day he meets the woman of his dreams.In a world full of endless possibilities why must we still limit ourselves with labels? Mike Bartlett's razor sharp play about love and identity redefines the battle of the sexes as we know it.Cock premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, on 13 November 2009. This new and revised edition was published to coincide with the West End production in 2022, starring Jonathan Bailey, Taron Egerton and Jade Anouka.Trade ReviewA smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion . . . The writing is lubricious, sometimes grubby and in places savagely unpleasant. But it has a wounding authenticity. We laugh nervously, aware of its precision. * Evening Standard *Mike Bartlett has proved a devastatingly astute observer of adults behaving badly and this latest work is no exception . . . He is mercilessly accurate, wickedly funny and strangely touching. * Financial Times *

Read more less

Book SynopsisI'm really looking forward to robbing this bank!Mischief's smash-and-grab hit The Comedy About A Bank Robbery is a fast, fabulous comedy caper and the funniest show in the West End! Summer 1958. Minneapolis City Bank has been entrusted with a priceless diamond. An escaped convict is dead set on pocketing the gem with the help of his screwball sidekick, trickster girlfriend and the maintenance man. With mistaken identities, love triangles and hidden agendas, even the most reputable can't be trusted. In a town where everyone's a crook, who will end up bagging the jewel?Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, the creators of the Olivier Award-winning Best New Comedy The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery opened at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End in April 2016.The best new comedy to open straight into the West End in decades'Time OutThrilling and daringly inveTrade Review‘This is the funniest show in town’ * The Telegraph *Fast and fabulous comedy caper is a joyful night out * The Times *The team behind ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ hit the funnybone again...The best new comedy to open straight into the West End in decades * Time Out *Thrilling and daringly inventive...This lung-bustingly funny play is just what the therapist ordered * The Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisA farcical look at political violence as it''s played out during the Troubles in Northern Ireland against the drab backdrop of a bare, rustic Irish cottage and unending boredom in an inhospitable environment in which a mutilated cat sets off a murderous cycle of revenge. Wee Thomas was a friendly cat. He would always say hello to you were you to see him sitting on a wall. (Pause.) He won''t be saying hello no more, God bless him. Not with that lump of a brain gone.Who knocked Wee Thomas over on the lonely road on the island of Inishmore, and was it an accident? Mad Padraig will want to know when he gets back from a stint of torture and chip shop bombing in Northern Ireland: he loves that cat more than life itself.Trade Review'Gleeful, gruesome play about political terrorism in rural Ireland, which won the Olivier Award for best comedy...Appallingly entertaining...Enlightening..."Lieutenant" is brazenly and unapologetically a farce. But it is also a severely moral play, translating into dizzy absurdism the self-perpetuating spirals of political violence that now occur throughout the world.' The New York Times 'A cautionary fairy tale for our toxic times. In its horror and hilarity, it works as an act of both revenge and repair, turning the tables on grief and goonery, and forcing the audience to think about the unthinkable.' The New Yorker

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrances Ya-Chu Cowhig (author)is an internationally produced playwright whose work has been staged in the United Kingdom at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Trafalgar Studios 2 [West End] and the Unicorn Theatre. In the United States her work has been staged at venues that include the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan Theater Club and the Goodman Theatre. Frances' plays have been awarded the Wasserstein Prize, the Yale Drama Series Award (selected by David Hare), an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, the David A. Callichio Award and the Keene Prize for Literature. Her plays include Lidless, The World of Extreme Happiness, Snow in Midsummer, and The King of Hell's Palace.Joshua Chambers-Letson (editor) is Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University. He is the author of After the Party: A Manifesto for Queer of Color Life (NYU Press, 2018) and A Race So Different: Law and PeTrade ReviewSome playwrights have a gift to amuse; Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig has a darker gift. Anyone with romantic notions of Chinese culture will be unsettled by the jagged, unsentimental portrait of modern urban China. * Chicago Reader *“Fearless, zippily-paced, and satirical, shining a light on Chinese society's necessary doublethink, be that willful blindness to the political past, or an equally blind belief in an impossibly brilliant future. * Independent (on The King of Hell's Palace) *An expansive, ambitious play about trauma and passion * The Stage (on Snow in Midsummer) *Cowhig speaks bitterness and makes us sit up and listen * Lyn Gardner The Guardian (on The World of Extreme Happiness) *Table of Contents1. Editorial Preface (Chambers-Letson) – A brief preface introducing the volume and its structure. 2. General Introduction (Mok) – An introduction to Cowhig’s work and the process behind the China Plays 3. The World of Extreme Happiness (Cowhig) 4. World Afterword (Chambers-Letson) 5. Snow in Midsummer (Cowhig) 6. Snow Afterword (Chambers-Letson) 7. The King of Hell’s Palace (Cowhig) 8. King Afterword (Chambers-Letson) 9. Transcribed Conversation w/ Cowhig, Chambers-Letson, and Mok

Read more less

Book SynopsisFrom one of the great modern writers, the acclaimed lectures in which he draws on a lifetime of experience to take the measure of Shakespeare''s plays and sonnets W. H. Auden, poet and critic, will conduct a course on Shakespeare at the New School for Social Research beginning Wednesday. Mr. Auden . . . proposes to read all Shakespeare''s plays in chronological order. So the New York Times reported on September 27, 1946, giving notice of a rare opportunity to hear one of the century''s great poets discuss at length one of the greatest writers of all time. Reconstructed by Arthur Kirsch, these lectures offer remarkable insights into Shakespeare''s plays and sonnets while also adding immeasurably to our understanding of Auden.Trade Review"Auden's lectures on Shakespeare are a marvelous blend of steady, patient intelligence and stunning insight—spirited, free-thinking, resourceful, unintimidated, liberated from the air of treacly piety, and very, very intelligent."—Stephen Greenblatt"A remarkable achievement."—Frank Kermode, London Review of Books"The finest [book] by any English poet on the subject since (and I am not forgetting Coleridge) Dr. Johnson."—Lachlan MacKinnon, Daily Telegraph"In every way, Kirsch has produced a model of useful scholarship. . . . To know Auden's work well is to acquire a liberal education. These lectures on Shakespeare are a good place to start."—Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World"For anyone who has ever resolved in vain to sit down and read right through Shakespeare, this at last is the volume to help fulfil that resolution. . . . [M]asterly."—Christopher Murray, Irish Times

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor twenty-six years after his first mention of the character, J.M. Barrie worked on the story of Peter Pan as he appeared through different incarnations: the three-act play Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904), the illustrated novella Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906), the Epilogue to the play “An After Thought” (1908), the full-length novel Peter and Wendy (1911), two short stories, and finally a longer version of the original play. This edition of Peter Pan includes not only the novel and revised play as they were first published, but also an earlier novella and the previously unpublished original play.Appendices include materials from Barrie’s personal writings and contemporary reviews and illustrations.Trade Review“A unique achievement—the bringing together of Barrie’s various and scattered Peter Pan texts within a single volume. As such it is an absolute gift to Peter Pan devotees, containing as it does much material that is otherwise unavailable to the general reader. An added bonus is the inclusion of numerous contemporary reviews for both the play of 1904 and the later novelization of 1911.” — Andrew Birkin, author of J.M. Barrie and The Lost Boys“This edition of Peter Pan is an exemplary work of scholarship, giving us not only the 1911 edition of the full novelization of this much edited and reproduced story, but also the 1904 slim pantomime version never before published, “An Afterthought” (1908), and the 1906 novella Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. The reader has in this edition a thorough exposure to this complicated text. Alton has chosen the Appendices carefully and wisely. Her Introduction meticulously covers the complicated history of the writing, editing, performing, and publishing of this famous story. And she provides us with a review of the major critical responses to the story. This edition of Peter Pan is simply the best we have.” — Roderick McGillis, The University of CalgaryTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroductionJ.M. Barrie: A Brief ChronologyA Note on the TextPrimary Text:Peter and WendyFormative Texts:Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn’t Grow Up“An After-Thought”Peter Pan in Kensington GardensAppendix A: Contemporary Reviews (Plays) Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn’t Grow Up The New York Times (28 December 1904) The Times (28 December 1904) The Saturday Review (7 January 1905) The New York Times (12 November 1905) The New York Times (10 June 1906) “An After-Thought” The New York Times (15 March 1908) Appendix B: Contemporary Reviews (Books) Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens The New York Times (4 December 1910) The New York Times (4 December 1910) Peter and Wendy The New York Times (22 October 1911) The Literary Digest (19 November 1911) Appendix C: Peter Pan Material Barrie’s Manuscript Page of “Fairy” (1903) “Davy Jones’ Locker” (1904) Frank Gillette’s Costume Designs for 1905 London Production of Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1905) Maude Adams from the 1905 New York Production of Peter Pan, or the Boy who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1905) Pauline Chase from the 1907 Playbill Touring Production Poster of Peter Pan, or the Boy whoWouldn’t Grow Up (1907) Appendix D: Related Texts by J.M. Barrie Preface to The Coral Island (1913) “Captain Hook at Eton” (1927) “To the Five” (1928) Appendix E: Images and Illustrations “The Child’s Map of Kensington Gardens.” Illustration by Henry Justice Ford from The Little White Bird (1902) “Peter Pan’s Map of Kensington Gardens.” Illustration by Arthur Rackham from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906) J.M. Barrie’s Key to Kensington Gardens (1903) “We Feel Dancey.” Illustration by Arthur Rackham from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens (1906) “Title Page.” Illustration by Francis Donkin Bedford from first edition of Peter and Wendy (1911) “Peter Flew In.” Illustration by Francis Donkin Bedford from first edition of Peter and Wendy (1911) “Peter Pan Playing Pipes” and “Wendy on Rock.” Illustrations by Mabel Lucie Attwell from Peter Pan and Wendy (1921) Diarmuid Byron-O’Connor’s Sculpture of Peter Pan at GOSH (2000) Bibliography and Works Cited

Read more less

Book Synopsis McDowall masterfully plants ideas that grow until they explode into extraordinary shapes. Filthy humour breaks down into a cracked algorithm of letters and loss a play that will gnaw away at you. It's sci-fi and theatre at its best. The StageBillions of miles from home, the lone research base on Pluto has lost contact with Earth. Unable to leave or send for help, the skeleton crew sit waiting.Waiting.Waiting long enough for time to start eating away at them.To lose all sense of it.To start seeing things in the dark outside.X premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2016. This new Modern Classics edition features an introduction by Dr Cristina Delgado-García.Trade ReviewAlistair McDowall is, I think, the most exciting playwright to emerge out of English theatre in the past five years...He makes me want to try harder. He makes me want to be better. * Simon Stephens, UK, Playwright *Alistair McDowall is one of the most highly regarded young playwrights writing today * Guardian *

Read more less

Book SynopsisWith an introduction by Simon CallowJudgements about the quality of works of art begin in opinion. But for the last two hundred years only the wilfully perverse (and Tolstoy) have denied the validity of the opinion that Shakespeare was a genius.Who was Shakespeare? Why has his writing endured? And what makes it so endlessly adaptable to different times and cultures? Exploring Shakespeare's life, including questions of authorship and autobiography, and charting how his legacy has grown over the centuries, this extraordinary book asks how Shakespeare has come to be such a powerful symbol of genius.Written with lively passion and wit, The Genius of Shakespeare is a fascinating biography of the life - and afterlife - of our greatest poet. Jonathan Bate, one of the world's leading Shakespearean scholars, has shown how the legend of Shakespeare's genius was created and sustained, and how the man himself became a truly global phenomenon.'The best modern book on Shakespeare' Sir Peter HallTrade Review‘The best book about Shakespeare for a generation’ Philip Howard, The Times‘As brilliant an account of the Bard’s iconic universality as you could hope to find’ Michael Billington, Guardian‘Absolutely dazzling – illuminates the whole man and the influence he has in our lives’ Simon Callow, Sunday Express‘Occupies the territory of biography, literary criticism, theatrical and social history, and a journey across its landscape is one of constant delight and illumination’ Sir Richard Eyre, Financial Times, Books of the Year‘The theme of this wonderfully written, diverse book is diversity itself, and the range of the essays serves only to confirm the disparate nature of Shakespeare’s achievement’ Peter Ackroyd, The Times ‘The liveliest and most intelligent general book on Shakespeare I have read for a long time’ John Gross, Sunday Telegraph, Books of the YearAmbitious, exceptionally well informed and immensely engaging . . . Bate writes with unflagging energy, intelligence, with and enthusiasm * Daily Telegraph *

Read more less

Book SynopsisExamines the ways in which Shakespeare used the law for dramatic effect and incorporated the passion for justice into his great tragedies and comedies, and considers the modern legal relevance of his work. This is a study in the field of literature and the law.Trade Review“An analysis that will interest Shakespeare scholars, enrich the working life of practicing lawyers, and help the lay reader understand why he enjoys Shakespeare in the first place.”—Cardozo Studies in Law and Literature“Thorough and lucid.”—Times Literary Supplement“Exhaustive scholarship and searching thought.”—New York Law Journal“Kornstein’s style is always lucid and often witty.”—Renaissance Quarterly“Highly recommended to all literate citizens, a genuine contribution to Shakespearean studies.”—Choice

Read more less

Book SynopsisMenander, the dominant figure in New Comedy, wrote over 100 plays, of which one complete play, substantial portions of six others, and smaller but interesting fragments have been recovered. The complete play, Dyskolos (The Peevish Fellow), won first prize in Athens in 317 BC.Trade ReviewAn excellent guide to Menander… Arnott has given us fine texts, clear translations, brief and useful introductions, and the help that is needed to make sense [of the] fragments. -- David Konstan * Scholia Reviews *

Read more less

Book SynopsisDavid Mamet was born in Chicago in 1947. He studied at Goddard College, Vermont - later becoming Art ist in Residence - and at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York. His first and ma ny subsequent plays were first performed by the St Nicholas Theatre company, Chicago, of which he wa s a founding member and Artistic Director. In 1978 he became Associate Artistic Director of the Good man Theatre, Chicago, where American Buffalo had been first staged in 1975, subsequently winning an Obie Award and opening on Broadway in 1977 and at the National Theatre in 1978. His greatest hits, G lengarry Glen Ross and Oleanna followed in 1983 and 1993 respectively.Trade Review'David Mamet has a miraculous ear for the heightened music of American dialect - it makes poetry out of common usage' New York Post; The Cryptogram: 'Here is the finest American playwright of his generation at full stretch. The writing is tight, spare, and as accurate and ruthless as a scalpel' Sunday Times; Oleanna: 'An exploration of male-female conflicts [which] cogently demonstrates that when free thought and dialogue are imperilled, nobody wins' Independent The Old Neighborhood: 'Mamet, ranked with Miller, Albee and Shepard as America's finest living playwrights, distills the raw, rank flavour of people wading down streams of consciousness... A play of riveting disquiet' Evening StandardTable of ContentsCrytogram; Oleanna; the Old Neighborhood

Read more less

Book SynopsisA play that chronicles the adventures of the star-crossed lovers Oriole and Student Zhang. It is suitable for students of Chinese cultural and literary traditions.Table of ContentsPREFACE FOREWORD by Cyril Birch TABLE OF CHINESE DYNASTIES DRAMA TIS PERSONJE INTRODUCTION 1. The Status ofWang Shifu's Story cfthe Western Wing in Chinese Literature 2. Author and Authorship 3. The Pedigree of the Materials 4. Exceptions to the Rules 5. An Introduction to the World of The Western Wing TRANSLATION Book the First An Introduction to the Story of Oriole Cui and Student Zhang [Eight Satiric Songs Against The Western Wing] The Story cf the Western Wing Play I, Burning Incense and Worshiping the Moon Play II, Icy Strings Spell Out Grief Book the Second [Untitled] to the Tune "Basheng Ganzhou" The Story of the Western Wing Play III, Feelings Transmitted by Lines of Poetry Play IV, A Clandestine Meeting ofRain and Clouds Play V, A Reunion Ordained by Heaven [Publisher's Advertisement] APPENDICES Appendix I, A Pair cfBattling Quacks Appendix II, A Noontime Dream in the Garden Grove GLOSSARY SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

Read more less

Book SynopsisJONATHAN BATE is Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature, University of Warwick, UK, and the editor of The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works. He has held visiting posts at Harvard, Yale and UCLA and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Fellow of the British Academy, an Honorary Fellow of St Catherine's College, Cambridge, and a Governor and Board member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. A prominent critic, award-winning biographer and broadcaster, he is the author of several books on Shakespeare, including The Genius of Shakespeare (Picador), which was praised by Sir Peter Hall, founder of the RSC, as the best modern book on Shakespeare. In June 2006 he was awarded a CBE by HM The Queen 'for services to Higher Education'. ERIC RASMUSSEN is Professor of English at the University of Nevada, USA, and the Textual Editor of The RSC Shakespeare: The Complete Works. He is co-editor of the Norton Anthology of English Renaissance Drama and has edited volumes in both t

Read more less