Contemporary British Drama, 1970-90 - Essays from Modern Drama

Sep 20, 2026

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A scholarly collection of essays examining contemporary British drama from 1970 to 1990, edited by Hersh Zeifman and Cynthia Zimmerman. The volume analyzes major playwrights and works, including Harold Pinter, Peter Shaffer, Edward Bond, Alan Ayckbourn, Tom Stoppard, Simon Gray, Trevor Griffiths, Ruby Cohn, C.W.E. Bigsby, David Hare, and Caryl Churchill, alongside others. It centers on critical methods, forms, political spectrum, theatrical identity, and interpretive structures, supported by an introduction, contributor notes, and original publication date listings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages361

Reading Time9 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Pinter's Old Times: The Memory Game

Rehearsal as Critical Method: Pinter's Old Times

Cinematic Fidelity and the Forms of Pinter's Betrayal

The Spectator in Drama/Drama in the Spectator: Peter Shaffer's Equus

On the Structure of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus

The Political Spectrum of Edward Bond: From Rationalism to Rhapsody

Bond's Restoration

Edward Bond's Summer: “a voice from the working class”

The Serious Side of Alan Ayckbourn

Makers of Real Shapes: Christopher Hampton and His Story-tellers

The Emblematic Structure and Setting of David Storey’s Plays

After Magritte, After Carroll, After Wittgenstein: What Tom Stoppard's Tortoise Taught Us

The Optical Allusion: Perception and Form in Stoppard's Travesties

Comedy of Ambush: Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing

The Unhappy Mean in Simon Gray's Otherwise Engaged

Creativity and Commitment in Trevor Griffiths’s Comedians

Modest Proposals of Modern Socialists

The Politics of Anxiety: Contemporary Socialist Theatre in England

Television Drama and the People’s War: David Hare's Licking Hitler, Ian McEwan's The Imitation Game, and Trevor Griffiths's Country

De-realised Women: Performance and Identity in Churchill's Top Girls

Retreating to the Future: Brenton in the Eighties

A Select Bibliography

Index

ContemporaryBritish Drama1970-90 Edited by Hersh Zeifman and Cynthia Zimmerman CONTEMPORARY BRITISH DRAMA,1970-90 Contemporary BritishDrama,1970-90 Essays from Modern Drama Edited by HERSH ZEIFMAN Associate Professor of EnglishMcLaughlin College,York University and CYNTHIA ZIMMERMAN Associate Professor of EnglishGlendon College,York University ◎Hersh Zeifman and Cynthia Zimmerman 1993Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1993 All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmission ofthis publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,copied ortransmitted save with written permission or in accordance withthe provisions of the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988,or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copyingissued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,90 Tottenham CourtRoad,London W1P9HE. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to thispublication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civilclaims for damages. First published 1993 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire RG212XSand London Companies and representativesthroughout the world ISBN 978-1-349-10821-3 ISBN 978-1-349-10819-0(eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-10819-0 A catalogue record for this book is availablefrom the British Library. Contents Dates of Original Publication Notes on the Contributors xi Introduction1Hersh Zeifman Pinter's Old Times:The Memory Game6Stephen Martineau Rehearsal as Critical Method:Pinter's Old Times19Lawrence I.Eilenberg 28Cinematic Fidelity and the Forms of Pinter's BetrayalEnoch Brater The Spectator in Drama/Drama in the Spectator:Peter Shaffer's Equus41Una Chaudhuri On the Structure of Peter Shaffer's Amadeus62Werner Huber and Hubert Zapf The Political Spectrum of Edward Bond:FromRationalism to Rhapsody81Christopher Innes Bond's Restoration101Katharine Worth Edward Bond's Summer:“a voice from the workingclass”119Philip Roberts The Serious Side of Alan Ayckbourn134Malcolm Page Contents Makers of Real Shapes:Christopher Hampton andHis Story-tellersSebastian Black The Emblematic Structure and Setting of DavidStorey's PlaysAustin E.Quigley After Magritte,After Carroll,After Wittgenstein:What Tom Stoppard's Tortoise Taught UsKeir Elam The Optical Allusion:Perception and Form inStoppard's Travesties199John William Cooke Comedy of Ambush:Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing217Hersh Zeifman The Unhappy Mean in Simon Gray's Otherwise Engaged232Byron Nelson Creativity and Commitment in Trevor Griffiths'sComedians243Austin E.Quigley Modest Proposals of Modern Socialists267Ruby Cohn The Politics of Anxiety:Contemporary SocialistTheatre in England282 C.W.E.Bigsby Television Drama and the People's War:David Hare'sLicking Hitler,lan McEwan's The Imitation Game,andTrevor Griffiths's CountryRichard Johnstone De-realised Women:Performance and Identity inChurchill's Top GirlsJoseph Marohl Contents Retreating to the Future:Brenton in the EightiesRichard Boon A Select BibliographyCynthia Zimmerman Index vii 323 338 344 # Dates of OriginalPublication Pinter's Old Times:The Memory GameStephen MartineauFirst published in Modern Drama,16(December 1973),287-297. Rehearsal as Critical Method:Pinter's Old TimesLawrence I.EilenbergFirst published in Modern Drama,18(December 1975),385-392. Cinematic Fidelity and the Forms of Pinter's BetrayalEnoch BraterFirst published in Modern Drama,24(December 1981),503-513. # The Spectator in Drama/Drama in the Spectator:Peter Shaffer'sEquus Una ChaudhuriFirst published inModern Drama,27(September 1984),281-298. On the Structure of Peter Shaffer's AmadeusWerner Huber and Hubert ZapfFirst published in Modern Drama,27(September 1984),299-313. # The Political Spectrum of Edward Bond:From Rationalism to Rhapsody Christopher InnesFirst published in Modern Drama,25(June 1982),189-206. Bond's RestorationKat

FAQs

What period does this volume cover?

It focuses on contemporary British drama from 1970 to 1990.

Who edited the book?

The volume is edited by Hersh Zeifman and Cynthia Zimmerman.

Which playwrights and works are discussed?

Essays cover figures such as Harold Pinter, Peter Shaffer (including Equus and Amadeus), Edward Bond, Alan Ayckbourn, Tom Stoppard (including The Real Thing and Travesties), Simon Gray (Otherwise Engaged), Trevor Griffiths (Comedians), and Caryl Churchill (Top Girls), among others.

Sep 20, 2026

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