A History of Modern Drama - Volume II - 1960-2000 - Contents

Sep 18, 2026

Scholarly overview of modern drama presented across six thematic parts, spanning introduction, the United Kingdom and Ireland, the United States, Western and Eastern Europe, postcolonial drama, and nihilism. Volume II 1960–2000 examines major playwrights and philosophical currents, including Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Caryl Churchill, Brian Friel, Edward Albee, David Mamet, Sam Shepard, August Wilson, Tony Kushner, and European and postcolonial figures. Includes a structured contents roadmap with chapters, notes, and index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages607

Reading Time15 h 35 min

AccessFree to download

Preface and Acknowledgments

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1 Strangers More than Ever: Modern Drama and Alternative Modernities

Part II: United Kingdom and Ireland

Chapter 2 Jewish Oedipus, Jewish Ethics: Harold Pinter and Postmodern Philosophy

Chapter 3 Tom Stoppard and the Limits of Empiricism

Chapter 4 Caryl Churchill, Monetarism, and the Feminist Dilemma

Chapter 5 “Can’t Buy Me Love”: Socialism, Working Class Sensibilities, and Modern British Drama

Chapter 6 Between Past and Present: Brian Friel’s “Symbolic Middle Ground”

Part III: United States

Chapter 7 “Participate, I suppose”: Edward Albee and the Specter of Death

Chapter 8 “Ask a Criminal”: White Postmodern Manhood in David Mamet and Sam Shepard

Chapter 9 Modern Drama, Modern Feminism, and Postmodern Motherhood

Chapter 10 History, Reinvention, and Dialectics: African American Drama and August Wilson

Chapter 11 Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: Postmodern Ethics in the Age of Reagan

Part IV: Western and Eastern Europe

Chapter 12 Post-War, Cold War, and Post-Cold War: Marxism, Post-Totalitarianism, and European Drama in the Postmodern Era

Chapter 13 Eastern Europe, Totalitarianism, and the Wooden Words

Part V: Postcolonial Drama

Chapter 14 The Fragmentation of the Selfin Postcolonial Drama

Chapter 15 Africa: Wole Soyinka, Athol Fugard, and Christina Ama Ata Aidoo

Chapter 16 Central and South America: Carlos Fuentes and Derek Walcott

Chapter 17 Asia and the Middle East: Yukio Mishima, Gao Xingjian, Girish Karnad, Hanoch Levin, and SaaDallah Wannous

Chapter 18 Canada: Ann-Marie MacDonald and Judith Thompson

Part VI: Nihilism at the Door

Chapter 19 Crisis of Values and Loss of Center in the Plays of Martin McDonagh and Sarah Kane

Chapter 20 Blasted, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Phaedra’s Love

Chapter 21 Pushing More Boundaries: Children and Desire

Notes

Index

A History of Modern Drama Volume II Books by David Krasner • A History of Modern Drama, Volume 1 (2012) • An Actor’s Craft: The Art and Technique of Acting (2012) • Theatre in Theory: An Anthology (editor, 2008) • American Drama, 1945–2000: An Introduction (2006) • Staging Philosophy: New Approaches to Theater, Performance, and Philosophy (coeditor with David Saltz, 2006) • A Companion to Twentieth‐Century American Drama (editor, 2005) • A Beautiful Pageant: African American Theatre, Drama, and Performance, 1910–1927 (2002), 2002 Finalist for the Theatre Library Association’s George Freedley Memorial Award • African American Performance and Theater History: A Critical Reader (coeditor with Harry Elam, 2001), Recipient of the 2002 Errol Hill Award from the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) • Method Acting Reconsidered: Theory, Practice, Future (editor, 2000) • Resistance, Parody, and Double Consciousness in African American Theatre, 1895–1910 (1997), Recipient of the 1998 Errol Hill Award from ASTR See more descriptions [at www.davidkrasner.com](at www.davidkrasner.com) A History of Modern Drama Volume II 1960–2000 David Krasner This edition first published 2016 © 2016 David Krasner Registered Office John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148‐5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at [www.wiley.com/wiley‐blackwell](www.wiley.com/wiley‐blackwell). The right of David Krasner to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks oftheir respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and David Krasner have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents ofthis book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher northe author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data applied for 9781405157582 [hardback] A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover image: A production of Angels in America, 1996, directed by David Krasner, and photo by the designer, Patrick Immel. Thom Miller as Louis, Justin DeGiacimo as Prior. Set in 10.5/13.5pt Galliard by SPi Global, Pondicherry, India For Emma Bennett Contents Preface and Acknowledgments ix Part I: Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Strangers More than Ever: Modern Drama and Alternative Modernities 3 Part II: Unit

FAQs

Volume II covers which time span and overall scope of modern drama?

Volume II covers 1960–2000 and provides a structured account of modern drama across multiple regions and thematic concerns, organized into six parts.

Which playwrights and authors are discussed in the section on the United Kingdom and Ireland?

The United Kingdom and Ireland chapters focus on Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Caryl Churchill, Brian Friel, and include discussion of British drama themes such as working-class sensibilities.

How is the book organized beyond the introduction?

After Part I, it proceeds through Parts II–VI: United Kingdom and Ireland, the United States, Western and Eastern Europe, postcolonial drama, and nihilism at the door, ending with notes and an index.

Sep 18, 2026

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