Modern British Drama: The Twentieth Century

by Christopher Innes

Overview

A revised and updated version of Modern British Drama, 1890-1990, is the first one-volume analysis of English playwriting over the twentieth century. Through detailed discussions of major dramatists and plays, Christopher Innes traces the evolution of modernism from Bernard Shaw to the present as well as theatrical developments over the period. The text includes information on the social and political environment surrounding the plays, first productions and critical reception, and chronology and illustrations from key performances, lists of playwrights and works, and selective bibliographies. It is an invaluable guide for students, theater-goers and theater historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521816519
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/28/2002
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	604
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.33(h) x 1.61(d)

About the Author

Christopher Innes is one of the leading experts in the field of modern British drama studies and he has written and published extensively in this and related areas. His books include Piscator's Political Theatre, Modern German Drama, Holy Theatre, Edward Gordon Craig, Avant Garde Theatre: 1892–1992, and A Sourcebook on Naturalistic Theatre, as well as Modern British Drama: 1890–1990. Professor Innes also serves as the General Editor for the Cambridge University Press series Directors in Perspective, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Performance and Culture.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Chronology; 1. Contexts; 2. Defining modernism: George Bernard Shaw; 3. Social themes and realistic formulae [playwrights discussed include: Granville-Barker, Workers' Theatre Movement; Rattigan; Osborne; Wesker; Brechtian influences; Arden; Bond; Edgar; Brenton; Hare; Gems]; 4. The comic mirror - tradition and innovation [playwrights discussed include: Maugham; Coward; Travers; Orton; Beckett; Pinter; Barnes; Griffiths; Ayckbourn; Frayn; Stoppard; Marber]; 5. Poetic drama - verse, fantasy and symbolic images [playwrights discussed include: Barrie; Priestley; Auden; Isherwood; Eliot; Fry; Shaffer; Whiting; Rudkin; Barker; Churchill; Kane; McBurney]; Bibliographies; Index.

Editorial Reviews

From the first edition of Modern British Drama: '… any student wishing to survey the field will find the work invaluable.' Forum for Modern Language Studies

'Christopher Innes' study provides the most valuable and extensive coverage that there has been on the subject in one volume. For teachers and students alike this work will become an essential handbook for the hundred years of British drama it covers … In short, the book is a triumph and a major contribution.' Modern Language Review

From the Publisher