A critical introduction to twentieth-century American drama. 2, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Edward Albee

This is the second volume in Christopher Bigsby's critical history of the important American dramatists and theatrical movements in the twentieth-century. Volume 1 brought the story to 1940 and included the last plays of O'Neill. In two further volumes Dr Bigsby covers the period from 1940 onwards. In Volume 2 he steps aside from the strict chronological progression to consider at length and in detail the achievement of the three great playwrights who dominate the post-war scene and who have earned an international reputation: Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward Albee. All three brought to the Broadway Theatre (discussed separately in Volume 3) a strong degree of moral seriousness and aesthetic sensitivity. Dr Bigsby gives a full account of the early unpublished plays and the major works by each playwright, drawing on biographical detail and political background to illuminate his reading of the plays, which are illustrated by photographs of important productions.

Reviews (1)

Choice Review

This second volume in Bigsby's projected three-volume study takes up in 1940, approximately where volume 1 left off. It contains an intelligent, well-written introduction and three chapters, one each on Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Edward Albee. Bigsby is well attuned to the psychological and sociological currents of the times about which he is writing, and he successfully relates the drama of the playwrights under consideration to these currents. Although somewhat narrower in scope than either Bigsby's previous volume or such studies as Joseph Wood Krutch's The American Drama Since 1918 (rev. ed., 1957) or Gerald Weales's American Drama Since World War II (1962), this volume provides keen and valuable insights into this period of modern American drama by focusing on three of its most serious and profound playwrights. Bigsby makes a significant contribution by his salient and cogent references to considerable unpublished Williams and Miller material that he has examined closely. Limited but useful bibliography; comprehensive index. This readable book belongs in undergraduate and graduate libraries as well as in public libraries that have strong collections in modern drama.-R.B. Shuman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

List of illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 Tennesse Williams

2 Arthur Miller

3 Edward Albee

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Mevcut:*

Bound With These Titles

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Reviews (1)

Choice Review

Table of Contents