Suzanne R. Westfall
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198128809
- eISBN:
- 9780191671708
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198128809.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
This book is the first to examine early Tudor theatre specifically from the perspective of the great households of England. The aristocrats of the sixteenth century commissioned, funded, and staged ...
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This book is the first to examine early Tudor theatre specifically from the perspective of the great households of England. The aristocrats of the sixteenth century commissioned, funded, and staged complex and often lavish entertainments for their households including plays, masques, concerts, dances, and sports. These thematically and stylistically unified revels, watched by guests and retainers, were designed to swell the social and artistic reputation of the patron and to communicate his ideology — in fact to delight the eye and ear while selectively educating the mind and soul. Theatre became for the nobleman a means to secure loyalty, a loyalty that both reflected and reinforced his political power. Important both as a collection of primary source documents and for its detailed examination of them, this book first considers the evolution, theatrical talents, duties and privileges, and techniques of retained performers, including Chapel Children and Gentlemen, minstrels, playwrights, and players. It then proceeds to a discussion of the interlude and of how the unique relationship between nobleman and artist affects the play's characters, theme, and structures.Less
This book is the first to examine early Tudor theatre specifically from the perspective of the great households of England. The aristocrats of the sixteenth century commissioned, funded, and staged complex and often lavish entertainments for their households including plays, masques, concerts, dances, and sports. These thematically and stylistically unified revels, watched by guests and retainers, were designed to swell the social and artistic reputation of the patron and to communicate his ideology — in fact to delight the eye and ear while selectively educating the mind and soul. Theatre became for the nobleman a means to secure loyalty, a loyalty that both reflected and reinforced his political power. Important both as a collection of primary source documents and for its detailed examination of them, this book first considers the evolution, theatrical talents, duties and privileges, and techniques of retained performers, including Chapel Children and Gentlemen, minstrels, playwrights, and players. It then proceeds to a discussion of the interlude and of how the unique relationship between nobleman and artist affects the play's characters, theme, and structures.
Christopher Bigsby
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264775
- eISBN:
- 9780191734984
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264775.003.0016
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter presents the text of a lecture on works of American author Arthur Miller given at the British Academy's 2009 Sarah Tryphena Phillips Lecture in American Literature. This text attempts to ...
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This chapter presents the text of a lecture on works of American author Arthur Miller given at the British Academy's 2009 Sarah Tryphena Phillips Lecture in American Literature. This text attempts to explore Miller's supposed realism, his language, and his thirst for the poetic. It explains that though Miller may be one of the most distinguished playwrights America has produced, he is also one of the most criticised. His early canonical work was often treated with condescension or political disdain and he was dismissed by a number of influential American critics as prosaic, a simple realist.Less
This chapter presents the text of a lecture on works of American author Arthur Miller given at the British Academy's 2009 Sarah Tryphena Phillips Lecture in American Literature. This text attempts to explore Miller's supposed realism, his language, and his thirst for the poetic. It explains that though Miller may be one of the most distinguished playwrights America has produced, he is also one of the most criticised. His early canonical work was often treated with condescension or political disdain and he was dismissed by a number of influential American critics as prosaic, a simple realist.
Gilli Bush-Bailey
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719072505
- eISBN:
- 9781781701935
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719072505.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
This book challenges the traditional boundaries that have separated the histories of the first actresses and the early female playwright, bringing the approaches of new histories and historiography ...
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This book challenges the traditional boundaries that have separated the histories of the first actresses and the early female playwright, bringing the approaches of new histories and historiography to bear on old stories to make alternative connections between women working in the business of theatre. Drawing from feminist cultural materialist theories and historiographies, it analyses the collaboration between the actresses Elizabeth Barry and Anne Bracegirdle and women playwrights such as Aphra Behn and Mary Pix, tracing a line of influence from the time of the first theatres royal to the rebellion that resulted in the creation of a players' co-operative. This is a story about public and private identity fuelling profit at the box office and gossip on the streets, investigating how women's on- and off-stage personae fed each other in the emerging commercial world of the business of theatre. Employing the narrative strategy of the micro-history, it offers a fresh approach to the history of women, seeing their neglected plays in the context of performance. Competition with the patent house resulted in a dirty tricks campaign that saw William Congreve supporting the female rebels or, as this book suggests, being supported by them. By combining detailed analysis of selected plays within the broader context of a playhouse managed by its leading actresses, the book challenges the received historical and literary canons, including a radical solution to the mysterious identity of the anonymous playwright ‘Ariadne’. It is a story of female collaboration and influence.Less
This book challenges the traditional boundaries that have separated the histories of the first actresses and the early female playwright, bringing the approaches of new histories and historiography to bear on old stories to make alternative connections between women working in the business of theatre. Drawing from feminist cultural materialist theories and historiographies, it analyses the collaboration between the actresses Elizabeth Barry and Anne Bracegirdle and women playwrights such as Aphra Behn and Mary Pix, tracing a line of influence from the time of the first theatres royal to the rebellion that resulted in the creation of a players' co-operative. This is a story about public and private identity fuelling profit at the box office and gossip on the streets, investigating how women's on- and off-stage personae fed each other in the emerging commercial world of the business of theatre. Employing the narrative strategy of the micro-history, it offers a fresh approach to the history of women, seeing their neglected plays in the context of performance. Competition with the patent house resulted in a dirty tricks campaign that saw William Congreve supporting the female rebels or, as this book suggests, being supported by them. By combining detailed analysis of selected plays within the broader context of a playhouse managed by its leading actresses, the book challenges the received historical and literary canons, including a radical solution to the mysterious identity of the anonymous playwright ‘Ariadne’. It is a story of female collaboration and influence.
Frances Babbage
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719067525
- eISBN:
- 9781781701782
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719067525.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
This book examines the diverse ways in which classical myth narratives have been reworked by women playwrights for the European stage. An in-depth assessment of ‘re-vision’ as a phenomenon in women's ...
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This book examines the diverse ways in which classical myth narratives have been reworked by women playwrights for the European stage. An in-depth assessment of ‘re-vision’ as a phenomenon in women's drama, it explores the ideological and aesthetic potential of such practice and simultaneously exposes the tensions inherent in attempts to challenge narratives that have fundamentally shaped western thought. The book examines plays from the 1960s to the twenty-first century, providing contextualised readings of fourteen theatrical works originating from France, Italy, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland. It introduces contemporary playwrights to English-speaking readers and audiences, placing them and their works into dialogue with others more widely known. From tracing the persistence of classical myths in contemporary culture and the significance of this in shaping gendered identities and opportunities, through to analysis of individual plays and productions, the book reveals how myths have served in the theatre as ‘pretexts’ for ideological debate and have enabled exploration of the fragile borders between mythic and the everyday, and how revision has been regarded, not unproblematically, as a route towards restructuring the self. It also explores the intersection of re-vision within the contrasting trends of ‘in-yer face’ and post-dramatic theatre, and the unique potential for myth rewriting offered by autobiographical solo performance.Less
This book examines the diverse ways in which classical myth narratives have been reworked by women playwrights for the European stage. An in-depth assessment of ‘re-vision’ as a phenomenon in women's drama, it explores the ideological and aesthetic potential of such practice and simultaneously exposes the tensions inherent in attempts to challenge narratives that have fundamentally shaped western thought. The book examines plays from the 1960s to the twenty-first century, providing contextualised readings of fourteen theatrical works originating from France, Italy, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland. It introduces contemporary playwrights to English-speaking readers and audiences, placing them and their works into dialogue with others more widely known. From tracing the persistence of classical myths in contemporary culture and the significance of this in shaping gendered identities and opportunities, through to analysis of individual plays and productions, the book reveals how myths have served in the theatre as ‘pretexts’ for ideological debate and have enabled exploration of the fragile borders between mythic and the everyday, and how revision has been regarded, not unproblematically, as a route towards restructuring the self. It also explores the intersection of re-vision within the contrasting trends of ‘in-yer face’ and post-dramatic theatre, and the unique potential for myth rewriting offered by autobiographical solo performance.
David Thomas, David Carlton, and Anne Etienne
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199260287
- eISBN:
- 9780191717390
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199260287.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
Using previously unpublished material from the National Archives, this book offers a new perspective on British cultural history. Statutory theatre censorship was first introduced in Britain by Sir ...
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Using previously unpublished material from the National Archives, this book offers a new perspective on British cultural history. Statutory theatre censorship was first introduced in Britain by Sir Robert Walpole with his Licensing Act of 1737. Previously, theatre censorship was exercised under the Royal Prerogative. Walpole's action in giving the Lord Chamberlain statutory powers of theatre censorship had the unforeseen consequence that confusion over the relationship between the Royal Prerogative and statute law would prevent any serious challenge to theatre censorship in Parliament until the 20th century. Sections outlining the political history of key periods explain why theatre censorship legislation was introduced in 1737; why attempts to reform the legislation failed in 1832, 1909, and 1949; and finally succeeded in 1968. In 1909, despite a vigorous campaign by playwrights and politicians, opposition from Edward VII helped to prevent the abolition of theatre censorship. Thereafter, resistance to change and obfuscation on the part of Home Office officials undermined attempts to abolish theatre censorship legislation until 1968. There was also strong support for theatre censorship on the part of commercial theatre managers who saw censorship as offering protection from vexatious prosecution. In 1968, although there was opposition from Elizabeth II, Lord Cobbold (her Lord Chamberlain) and Harold Wilson (her Prime Minister), the combined pressure of playwrights, directors, critics, audiences, and politicians (notably Roy Jenkins) ensured that theatre censorship was finally abolished. The book concludes by exploring whether new forms of covert censorship have replaced the statutory theatre censorship abolished with the 1968 Theatres Act.Less
Using previously unpublished material from the National Archives, this book offers a new perspective on British cultural history. Statutory theatre censorship was first introduced in Britain by Sir Robert Walpole with his Licensing Act of 1737. Previously, theatre censorship was exercised under the Royal Prerogative. Walpole's action in giving the Lord Chamberlain statutory powers of theatre censorship had the unforeseen consequence that confusion over the relationship between the Royal Prerogative and statute law would prevent any serious challenge to theatre censorship in Parliament until the 20th century. Sections outlining the political history of key periods explain why theatre censorship legislation was introduced in 1737; why attempts to reform the legislation failed in 1832, 1909, and 1949; and finally succeeded in 1968. In 1909, despite a vigorous campaign by playwrights and politicians, opposition from Edward VII helped to prevent the abolition of theatre censorship. Thereafter, resistance to change and obfuscation on the part of Home Office officials undermined attempts to abolish theatre censorship legislation until 1968. There was also strong support for theatre censorship on the part of commercial theatre managers who saw censorship as offering protection from vexatious prosecution. In 1968, although there was opposition from Elizabeth II, Lord Cobbold (her Lord Chamberlain) and Harold Wilson (her Prime Minister), the combined pressure of playwrights, directors, critics, audiences, and politicians (notably Roy Jenkins) ensured that theatre censorship was finally abolished. The book concludes by exploring whether new forms of covert censorship have replaced the statutory theatre censorship abolished with the 1968 Theatres Act.
Mark Bevir
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691150833
- eISBN:
- 9781400840281
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691150833.003.0008
- Subject:
- Political Science, UK Politics
This chapter concerns the famous playwright George Bernard Shaw. Shaw's biographers consistently discuss his debt to Marx, but intellectual historians have found little sign of this debt. It shows ...
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This chapter concerns the famous playwright George Bernard Shaw. Shaw's biographers consistently discuss his debt to Marx, but intellectual historians have found little sign of this debt. It shows how Shaw's Marxism becomes visible if we look for the kind of Marxism found among his contemporaries, as opposed to the kinds of Marxism that became prominent later in the twentieth century. In the mid-1880s, Shaw shared many of the Marxist ideas of the Social Democratic Federation. Even later, after he rejected Marxist economics for marginalism, he continued to defend several Marxist themes in ways that distanced him from the other leading Fabians, most importantly Sidney Webb.Less
This chapter concerns the famous playwright George Bernard Shaw. Shaw's biographers consistently discuss his debt to Marx, but intellectual historians have found little sign of this debt. It shows how Shaw's Marxism becomes visible if we look for the kind of Marxism found among his contemporaries, as opposed to the kinds of Marxism that became prominent later in the twentieth century. In the mid-1880s, Shaw shared many of the Marxist ideas of the Social Democratic Federation. Even later, after he rejected Marxist economics for marginalism, he continued to defend several Marxist themes in ways that distanced him from the other leading Fabians, most importantly Sidney Webb.
Stanley Ireland
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- February 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780856688973
- eISBN:
- 9781800343146
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9780856688973.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
What reason has an educated man for going to the theatre, except to see Menander? Thus the judgement of Aristophanes of Byzantium, and in later antiquity the social comedies of Menander ranked second ...
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What reason has an educated man for going to the theatre, except to see Menander? Thus the judgement of Aristophanes of Byzantium, and in later antiquity the social comedies of Menander ranked second in popularity only to the epics of Homer. Yet for centuries thereafter the plays were thought to be irretrievably lost, failing to become part of the canon of writers that generations of copyists deemed worthy of transmitting to us. It was only in the 20th century that large sections of the plays began to emerge from Egypt, enabling modern readers to gauge for themselves the correctness of earlier verdicts. Following on from the author's edition of Menander's Bad-Tempered Man (dyskolos), the present volume aims to provide readers with ready access to the playwright's consummate sophistication in dramatic technique through two, albeit incomplete, plays, The Shield (aspis) and Arbitration (epitrepontes). The Greek text is accompanied by a translation aimed at providing a version that is readable, while at the same time remaining close enough to the original to make comparison of the two a feasible proposition. The commentary, in turn, concentrates upon dramatic development, providing the reader with pointers to appreciating the playwright's often subtle techniques of both dramatic development and character portrayal.Less
What reason has an educated man for going to the theatre, except to see Menander? Thus the judgement of Aristophanes of Byzantium, and in later antiquity the social comedies of Menander ranked second in popularity only to the epics of Homer. Yet for centuries thereafter the plays were thought to be irretrievably lost, failing to become part of the canon of writers that generations of copyists deemed worthy of transmitting to us. It was only in the 20th century that large sections of the plays began to emerge from Egypt, enabling modern readers to gauge for themselves the correctness of earlier verdicts. Following on from the author's edition of Menander's Bad-Tempered Man (dyskolos), the present volume aims to provide readers with ready access to the playwright's consummate sophistication in dramatic technique through two, albeit incomplete, plays, The Shield (aspis) and Arbitration (epitrepontes). The Greek text is accompanied by a translation aimed at providing a version that is readable, while at the same time remaining close enough to the original to make comparison of the two a feasible proposition. The commentary, in turn, concentrates upon dramatic development, providing the reader with pointers to appreciating the playwright's often subtle techniques of both dramatic development and character portrayal.
David Thomas, David Carlton, and Anne Etienne
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199260287
- eISBN:
- 9780191717390
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199260287.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
This chapter shows how, in the inter-war period, playwrights seemed less concerned as a group with the issue of theatre censorship than was the case with playwrights in the 1900s. The chapter also ...
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This chapter shows how, in the inter-war period, playwrights seemed less concerned as a group with the issue of theatre censorship than was the case with playwrights in the 1900s. The chapter also shows how the practice of censorship in the Lord Chamberlain's office addressed some of the previous censorship concerns expressed by playwrights. It then demonstrates how the proliferation of theatre societies and theatre clubs enabled minority audiences to watch plays that had been either banned or never submitted for a licence. Such performances were viewed by the Lord Chamberlain as a necessary safety valve. Finally, the chapter illustrates further contradictions in censorship practice by showing how some local authorities were prepared to ban plays that had been formally licensed by the Lord Chamberlain.Less
This chapter shows how, in the inter-war period, playwrights seemed less concerned as a group with the issue of theatre censorship than was the case with playwrights in the 1900s. The chapter also shows how the practice of censorship in the Lord Chamberlain's office addressed some of the previous censorship concerns expressed by playwrights. It then demonstrates how the proliferation of theatre societies and theatre clubs enabled minority audiences to watch plays that had been either banned or never submitted for a licence. Such performances were viewed by the Lord Chamberlain as a necessary safety valve. Finally, the chapter illustrates further contradictions in censorship practice by showing how some local authorities were prepared to ban plays that had been formally licensed by the Lord Chamberlain.
James Sambrook
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198117889
- eISBN:
- 9780191671104
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198117889.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Poetry
This is a full-scale biography of the poet and playwright James Thomson for forty years. On the personal side, it places him in his social and cultural setting: as a welcome member of the disparate ...
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This is a full-scale biography of the poet and playwright James Thomson for forty years. On the personal side, it places him in his social and cultural setting: as a welcome member of the disparate circles that surrounded Alexander Pope, Richard Savage, Aaron Hill, James Quin, George Bubb Dodington, George Lyttelton, Lady Hertford, and Frederick, Prince of Wales. More significantly, for the first time, Thomson's involvement in politics is thoroughly explored. The analysis of his Scottish Whiggism and his role as the poet of Britannia and Liberty places the poetry in a clear ideological light, which at once deepens our understanding of Thomson the man, and illuminates the political groupings of the period. Drawing on his understanding of Thomson's poetry, the author also supplies a full critical analysis of the whole body of Thomson's writings. This new book maintains an even balance between biography, history, and literary criticism, and forms both a study of the man and a companion to the Oxford English Texts edition of the poems.Less
This is a full-scale biography of the poet and playwright James Thomson for forty years. On the personal side, it places him in his social and cultural setting: as a welcome member of the disparate circles that surrounded Alexander Pope, Richard Savage, Aaron Hill, James Quin, George Bubb Dodington, George Lyttelton, Lady Hertford, and Frederick, Prince of Wales. More significantly, for the first time, Thomson's involvement in politics is thoroughly explored. The analysis of his Scottish Whiggism and his role as the poet of Britannia and Liberty places the poetry in a clear ideological light, which at once deepens our understanding of Thomson the man, and illuminates the political groupings of the period. Drawing on his understanding of Thomson's poetry, the author also supplies a full critical analysis of the whole body of Thomson's writings. This new book maintains an even balance between biography, history, and literary criticism, and forms both a study of the man and a companion to the Oxford English Texts edition of the poems.
Paulina Kewes
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198184683
- eISBN:
- 9780191674334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198184683.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, 17th-century and Restoration Literature, Drama
This chapter discusses the significant positive developments in playwriting in England during the period from 1660 to 1710. In the 1660s the writer of a play had little status or security. His ...
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This chapter discusses the significant positive developments in playwriting in England during the period from 1660 to 1710. In the 1660s the writer of a play had little status or security. His identity was largely unknown and not property compensated. This condition changed starting in the 1690s when authors started to be recognized in play catalogues, the audience began to be critical of plagiarism, and the authors were properly paid for the performance or publication of their work under the renumeration system introduced after the Restoration.Less
This chapter discusses the significant positive developments in playwriting in England during the period from 1660 to 1710. In the 1660s the writer of a play had little status or security. His identity was largely unknown and not property compensated. This condition changed starting in the 1690s when authors started to be recognized in play catalogues, the audience began to be critical of plagiarism, and the authors were properly paid for the performance or publication of their work under the renumeration system introduced after the Restoration.
Suzanne R. Westfall
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198128809
- eISBN:
- 9780191671708
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198128809.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
This chapter analyses the works and authors of some household plays in England during the early Tudor period. The findings reveal that playwrights were closely associated with one and sometimes more ...
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This chapter analyses the works and authors of some household plays in England during the early Tudor period. The findings reveal that playwrights were closely associated with one and sometimes more than one noble patron. The result also suggests that their works reflected not only their own philosophies, but also those of the aristocrats with whom they were associated. In addition to being writers, these playwrights also served as schoolmasters and this enabled them to study and adapt classical structures used for academic exercises.Less
This chapter analyses the works and authors of some household plays in England during the early Tudor period. The findings reveal that playwrights were closely associated with one and sometimes more than one noble patron. The result also suggests that their works reflected not only their own philosophies, but also those of the aristocrats with whom they were associated. In addition to being writers, these playwrights also served as schoolmasters and this enabled them to study and adapt classical structures used for academic exercises.
Martin Puchner
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199730322
- eISBN:
- 9780199852796
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730322.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
To trace the development of dramatic Platonism, this chapter highlights the Socrates play and how it follows Plato's presentation of Socrates' thoughts and actions in dramatic form. It also tells the ...
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To trace the development of dramatic Platonism, this chapter highlights the Socrates play and how it follows Plato's presentation of Socrates' thoughts and actions in dramatic form. It also tells the story on how Plato became known as a playwright. In addition, Marsilio Ficino's realization of the dramatic form on Plato's philosophy that led to the beginning of dramatic Platonism is illustrated in detail.Less
To trace the development of dramatic Platonism, this chapter highlights the Socrates play and how it follows Plato's presentation of Socrates' thoughts and actions in dramatic form. It also tells the story on how Plato became known as a playwright. In addition, Marsilio Ficino's realization of the dramatic form on Plato's philosophy that led to the beginning of dramatic Platonism is illustrated in detail.
Martin Puchner
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199730322
- eISBN:
- 9780199852796
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730322.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Drama
This chapter provides an illustration of the history of modern philosophy from the point of view of theater. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the premise that Plato should be considered an enemy ...
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This chapter provides an illustration of the history of modern philosophy from the point of view of theater. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the premise that Plato should be considered an enemy of the theater by theater establishments and philosophy began to collapse. Plato had been accepted not only by dramatists but also by philosophers as a playwright. A “theatrical turn” or “dramatic turn” returned philosophy to its dramatic origin. This chapter presents how Plato's dialogues are now routinely performed in theaters and how theater establishments coped with his radical reforms.Less
This chapter provides an illustration of the history of modern philosophy from the point of view of theater. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the premise that Plato should be considered an enemy of the theater by theater establishments and philosophy began to collapse. Plato had been accepted not only by dramatists but also by philosophers as a playwright. A “theatrical turn” or “dramatic turn” returned philosophy to its dramatic origin. This chapter presents how Plato's dialogues are now routinely performed in theaters and how theater establishments coped with his radical reforms.
Josephine M. Guy and Ian Small
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198187288
- eISBN:
- 9780191674686
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198187288.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This chapter compares Wilde's successful and unsuccessful attempts to establish himself in the popular theatre, in order to document the impact on his career of the financial disappointments of his ...
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This chapter compares Wilde's successful and unsuccessful attempts to establish himself in the popular theatre, in order to document the impact on his career of the financial disappointments of his first two plays. The relative failure of Vera to generate the income for which Wilde had hoped forced him to focus most of his energies on commercial publications. By contrast, the immediate financial return from Lady Windermere's Fan enabled him to pursue the more rarefied market of limited editions and thus to acquire for his work the distinction which their coterie readerships (with their discriminating tastes) conferred.Less
This chapter compares Wilde's successful and unsuccessful attempts to establish himself in the popular theatre, in order to document the impact on his career of the financial disappointments of his first two plays. The relative failure of Vera to generate the income for which Wilde had hoped forced him to focus most of his energies on commercial publications. By contrast, the immediate financial return from Lady Windermere's Fan enabled him to pursue the more rarefied market of limited editions and thus to acquire for his work the distinction which their coterie readerships (with their discriminating tastes) conferred.
Ezra Mendelsohn
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195112030
- eISBN:
- 9780199854608
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195112030.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter deals with the literary works of Ludwig Robert, a German Jewish playwright, who wrote a biblical play about Jephthah, entitled Die Tochter Jephthas. The main character Jephthah is a war ...
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This chapter deals with the literary works of Ludwig Robert, a German Jewish playwright, who wrote a biblical play about Jephthah, entitled Die Tochter Jephthas. The main character Jephthah is a war hero in the Bible, who makes a terrible pledge of his daughter to God in the form of a human sacrifice to win a war. In contrast to the biblical Jephthah, Robert's Jephthah is both warrior and madman, a hero turned irrational, able to kill his daughter as well as Acha's son. Ludwig Robert was the first German author to write Jewish material that dealt with a biblical subject.Less
This chapter deals with the literary works of Ludwig Robert, a German Jewish playwright, who wrote a biblical play about Jephthah, entitled Die Tochter Jephthas. The main character Jephthah is a war hero in the Bible, who makes a terrible pledge of his daughter to God in the form of a human sacrifice to win a war. In contrast to the biblical Jephthah, Robert's Jephthah is both warrior and madman, a hero turned irrational, able to kill his daughter as well as Acha's son. Ludwig Robert was the first German author to write Jewish material that dealt with a biblical subject.
James R. Brandon
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824832001
- eISBN:
- 9780824869137
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824832001.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
According to a myth constructed after Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces in 1945, kabuki was a pure, classical art form with no real place in modern Japanese society. This book calls this view ...
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According to a myth constructed after Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces in 1945, kabuki was a pure, classical art form with no real place in modern Japanese society. This book calls this view into question and makes a compelling case that, up to the very end of the Pacific War, kabuki was a living theater and, as an institution, an active participant in contemporary events, rising and falling in consonance with Japan's imperial adventures. The book shows that kabuki played an important role in Japan's Fifteen-Year Sacred War. It reveals, for example, that kabuki stars raised funds to buy fighter and bomber aircraft for the imperial forces and that producers arranged large-scale tours for kabuki troupes to entertain soldiers stationed in Manchuria, China, and Korea. Kabuki playwrights contributed no less than 160 new plays that dramatized frontline battles or rewrote history to propagate imperial ideology. Abridged by censors, molded by the Bureau of Information, and partially incorporated into the League of Touring Theaters, kabuki reached new audiences as it expanded along with the new Japanese empire. By the end of the war, however, it had fallen from government favor and in 1944–1946 it nearly expired when Japanese government decrees banished leading kabuki companies to minor urban theaters and the countryside. The book includes more than a hundred illustrations, many of which have never been published in an English-language work. It is a complete revision of kabuki's recent history and as such goes beyond correcting a significant misconception.Less
According to a myth constructed after Japan's surrender to the Allied Forces in 1945, kabuki was a pure, classical art form with no real place in modern Japanese society. This book calls this view into question and makes a compelling case that, up to the very end of the Pacific War, kabuki was a living theater and, as an institution, an active participant in contemporary events, rising and falling in consonance with Japan's imperial adventures. The book shows that kabuki played an important role in Japan's Fifteen-Year Sacred War. It reveals, for example, that kabuki stars raised funds to buy fighter and bomber aircraft for the imperial forces and that producers arranged large-scale tours for kabuki troupes to entertain soldiers stationed in Manchuria, China, and Korea. Kabuki playwrights contributed no less than 160 new plays that dramatized frontline battles or rewrote history to propagate imperial ideology. Abridged by censors, molded by the Bureau of Information, and partially incorporated into the League of Touring Theaters, kabuki reached new audiences as it expanded along with the new Japanese empire. By the end of the war, however, it had fallen from government favor and in 1944–1946 it nearly expired when Japanese government decrees banished leading kabuki companies to minor urban theaters and the countryside. The book includes more than a hundred illustrations, many of which have never been published in an English-language work. It is a complete revision of kabuki's recent history and as such goes beyond correcting a significant misconception.
Craig R. Prentiss
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814707951
- eISBN:
- 9780814708408
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814707951.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
In the years between the Harlem Renaissance and World War II, African American playwrights gave birth to a vital black theater movement in the United States. It was a movement overwhelmingly ...
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In the years between the Harlem Renaissance and World War II, African American playwrights gave birth to a vital black theater movement in the United States. It was a movement overwhelmingly concerned with the role of religion in black identity. In a time of profound social transformation fueled by a massive migration from the rural south to the urban-industrial centers of the north, scripts penned by dozens of black playwrights reflected cultural tensions, often rooted in class, that revealed competing conceptions of religion's role in the formation of racial identity. Black playwrights pointed in quite different ways toward approaches to church, scripture, belief, and ritual that they deemed beneficial to the advancement of the race. Their plays were important not only in mirroring theological reflection of the time, but in helping to shape African American thought about religion in black communities. The religious themes of these plays were in effect arguments about the place of religion in African American lives. This book illuminates the creative strategies playwrights used to grapple with religion. It brings long-forgotten plays to life as it chronicles the cultural and religious fissures that marked early twentieth-century African American society.Less
In the years between the Harlem Renaissance and World War II, African American playwrights gave birth to a vital black theater movement in the United States. It was a movement overwhelmingly concerned with the role of religion in black identity. In a time of profound social transformation fueled by a massive migration from the rural south to the urban-industrial centers of the north, scripts penned by dozens of black playwrights reflected cultural tensions, often rooted in class, that revealed competing conceptions of religion's role in the formation of racial identity. Black playwrights pointed in quite different ways toward approaches to church, scripture, belief, and ritual that they deemed beneficial to the advancement of the race. Their plays were important not only in mirroring theological reflection of the time, but in helping to shape African American thought about religion in black communities. The religious themes of these plays were in effect arguments about the place of religion in African American lives. This book illuminates the creative strategies playwrights used to grapple with religion. It brings long-forgotten plays to life as it chronicles the cultural and religious fissures that marked early twentieth-century African American society.
Ethelene Whitmire
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038501
- eISBN:
- 9780252096419
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038501.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
The first African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, she fought for promotion and equal pay ...
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The first African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, she fought for promotion and equal pay against entrenched sexism and racism. Andrews also played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance, supporting writers and intellectuals with dedicated workspace at her 135th Street Branch Library. After hours she cohosted a legendary salon that drew the likes of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Her work as an actress and playwright helped establish the Harlem Experimental Theater. This new biography offers the first full-length portrait of Andrews' activism, engagement with the arts of the Harlem Renaissance, and work with the NYPL.Less
The first African American to head a branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL), Regina Andrews led an extraordinary life. Allied with W. E. B. Du Bois, she fought for promotion and equal pay against entrenched sexism and racism. Andrews also played a key role in the Harlem Renaissance, supporting writers and intellectuals with dedicated workspace at her 135th Street Branch Library. After hours she cohosted a legendary salon that drew the likes of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Her work as an actress and playwright helped establish the Harlem Experimental Theater. This new biography offers the first full-length portrait of Andrews' activism, engagement with the arts of the Harlem Renaissance, and work with the NYPL.
Judith Chazin-Bennahum
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195399332
- eISBN:
- 9780199897025
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195399332.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Dance
This chapter follows Blum’s career first as a young man in the offices of Revue Blanche where he met great poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Valéry, artists such as Edouard Vuillard, Edgar ...
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This chapter follows Blum’s career first as a young man in the offices of Revue Blanche where he met great poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Valéry, artists such as Edouard Vuillard, Edgar Dégas, and Pierre Bonnard, and musicians such as Claude Debussy. It describes Blum’s writings, which reveal his essential openness to innovation and brilliant style. As editor of Gil Blas, he became a strong advocate for writers such as Tristan Bernard and Georges Courteline, creating a society for men of letters. He also spoke eloquently about understanding the importance of production values in a theatrical piece. The book explores Blum’s witty and adventurous plays that examine topics such as the intense materialism of the period, and the tragedy of unrequited love. This discussion then describes how Blum came to appreciate and promote deluxe or beautifully illustrated books, often by great painters. He also edited an extensive two-volume sports encyclopedia. When Blum became the artistic director of the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo, he produced the work of English playwrights, such as Shaw, and French playwrights, such as Marcel Pagnol and Colette. The chapter continues by shedding light on the fact that Blum rewrote well-known operettas for the stage in Monte Carlo, bringing new life to old stories, and ends with his greatest project: the resurrection of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1932.Less
This chapter follows Blum’s career first as a young man in the offices of Revue Blanche where he met great poets such as Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Valéry, artists such as Edouard Vuillard, Edgar Dégas, and Pierre Bonnard, and musicians such as Claude Debussy. It describes Blum’s writings, which reveal his essential openness to innovation and brilliant style. As editor of Gil Blas, he became a strong advocate for writers such as Tristan Bernard and Georges Courteline, creating a society for men of letters. He also spoke eloquently about understanding the importance of production values in a theatrical piece. The book explores Blum’s witty and adventurous plays that examine topics such as the intense materialism of the period, and the tragedy of unrequited love. This discussion then describes how Blum came to appreciate and promote deluxe or beautifully illustrated books, often by great painters. He also edited an extensive two-volume sports encyclopedia. When Blum became the artistic director of the Théâtre de Monte-Carlo, he produced the work of English playwrights, such as Shaw, and French playwrights, such as Marcel Pagnol and Colette. The chapter continues by shedding light on the fact that Blum rewrote well-known operettas for the stage in Monte Carlo, bringing new life to old stories, and ends with his greatest project: the resurrection of the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo in 1932.
Beth Palmer
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199599110
- eISBN:
- 9780191725371
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599110.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Women's Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
The chapter begins by examining in detail Florence Marryat's early career to demonstrate the significance of this under-researched figure in Victorian culture. Starting in 1865 with her bestseller, ...
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The chapter begins by examining in detail Florence Marryat's early career to demonstrate the significance of this under-researched figure in Victorian culture. Starting in 1865 with her bestseller, Love's Conflict, she soon became adept at re-packaging and performing aspects of her celebrity for consumption. Her author-editorship of London Society provided a space where Marryat could continue writing her brand of sensation fiction that reveals the genre as a series of performances in which gendered identity and the courtship plot could simultaneously be exposed as performative and where her own editorial persona could be endlessly reconstructed by her contributors. In moving away from editorship and towards the stage from the late 1870s onwards, Marryat's later career provides the opportunity for comparing her performative strategies as author-editor with those she uses as a playwright and actress.Less
The chapter begins by examining in detail Florence Marryat's early career to demonstrate the significance of this under-researched figure in Victorian culture. Starting in 1865 with her bestseller, Love's Conflict, she soon became adept at re-packaging and performing aspects of her celebrity for consumption. Her author-editorship of London Society provided a space where Marryat could continue writing her brand of sensation fiction that reveals the genre as a series of performances in which gendered identity and the courtship plot could simultaneously be exposed as performative and where her own editorial persona could be endlessly reconstructed by her contributors. In moving away from editorship and towards the stage from the late 1870s onwards, Marryat's later career provides the opportunity for comparing her performative strategies as author-editor with those she uses as a playwright and actress.
