Western Drama Through the Ages - A Student Reference Guide - Volume 1 & 2

Sep 21, 2026

Western Drama through the Ages: A Student Reference Guide is a comprehensive overview of theatrical experience across Western countries, tracing drama’s development from early origins to the present. The guide surveys major theatrical developments spanning roughly 500 years before the birth of Christ and later centuries, presenting 45 essays by 39 contributors, including internationally recognized experts. It supports informed play analysis and highlights drama’s social nature and the value of continued study and diverse viewpoints.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages645

Reading Time16 h 33 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Preface

Part I: Four Great Eras of Western Drama

Part II: Two Other Major Eras of Western Drama

Part III: National and Regional Theater

Part IV: Theater Movements and Issues

Part V: Dramatic Genres and Styles

Part VI: Theatrical Essentials

Western Drama through the Ages: A Student Reference Guide, Volumes 1 & 2 Edited by Kimball King Greenwood Press WESTERN DRAMA THROUGH THE AGES WESTERN DRAMA THROUGH THE AGES A Student Reference Guide 􀀁 VOLUME 1 Edited by Kimball King GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Western drama through the ages : a student reference guide / edited by Kimball King. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32934-0 (set : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32935-7 (vol. 1 : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-313-32936-4 (vol. 2 : alk. paper) 1. Drama—History and criticism. 2. Theater—History. I. King, Kimball. PN1721.W47 2007 809.2—dc22 2007010683 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2007 by Kimball King All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007010683 ISBN-10: 0–313–32934–6 (set) ISBN-13: 978–0–313–32934–0 (set) 0–313–32935–4 (vol. 1) 978–0–313–32935–7 (vol. 1) 0–313–32936–2 (vol. 2) 978–0–313–32936–4 (vol. 2) First published in 2007 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. [www.greenwood.com](www.greenwood.com) Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 􀀁 Contents VOLUME 1 Preface ix Part I: Four Great Eras of Western Drama 1 Classic Greek and Roman Drama 3 Brett M. Rogers English Renaissance Drama 30 William Kerwin French Neoclassical Drama 47 Andrew Ade Modern Drama 71 Kimball King Part II: Two Other Major Eras of Western Drama 79 Medieval Drama 81 Edward Donald Kennedy Restoration Drama 95 John M. Ware Part III: National and Regional Theater 125 Modern Canadian Theater 127 Jerry Wasserman Czech Drama 142 Veronika Ambros German Drama 154 Christoph E. Schweitzer Modern Indian Drama 161 Sitanshi Talati-Parikh Irish Drama 177 Richard Rankin Russell Italian Drama 187 Ennio Italo Rao Latin American Theater 201 George Woodyard Polish Theater 209 Artur Grabowski Russian Drama in the Eighteenth Century 239 Lurana Donnels O’Malley The Russian Drama of Anton Chekhov 243 Ralph Lindheim Modern Scandinavian Drama 257 Katherine Egerton Southern U.S. Drama 268 Catherine Seltzer Spanish Drama 275 Jeffrey T. Bersett VOLUME 2 Part IV: Theater Movements and Issues 289 African American Drama 291 Kay E.B. Ruth Belief in Contemporary Drama 302 Gerald C. Wood Biblical Drama in Britain and America 314 Martha Greene Eads Gay Drama 332 James Fisher Gender and Theater 350 Gwendolyn N. Hale Musical Theater 357 Gary Konas Outdoor Drama 366 Eszter A. Julian Part V: Dramatic Genres and Styles 377 Dada in Drama 379 Sarah Bay-Cheng Dramatic Comedy 391 Miriam M. Chirico Dramatic Comedy: A History of European and American Plays 414 Reade Dornan Expressionism 425 Robert F. Gross ‘‘In Yer Face’’ Theater: ‘‘Purely through Image’’ and the Collapse of 440 Language Luc Gilleman Kitchen Sink Drama 452 Reade Dornan Language in Play: From ‘‘Well-Made’’ and Absurdist Plays to 454 Talk Drama Luc Gilleman ‘‘Oh, die Angst! die Angst!’’ Romeo and Juliet as Rock Opera 462 William Hutchings The Primal Power in Harold Pinter and Edward Albee: The American 474 Dream Destructed Penelope Prentice Realism 485 Robert F. Gross Realism: A Survey of Modern Plays 504 Bruce Mann Surrealism 507 Robert F. Gross Tragedy 521 Kimball King Part VI: Theatrical Essentials 525 Acting Styles 527 Julie Fishell Costume Design in the United States 533 Bobbi Owen Directors a

FAQs

What is the scope of Western Drama through the Ages: A Student Reference Guide?

It surveys Western theater primarily across America, Europe, and related regions, tracing the trajectory of theater from its beginnings to the present and covering major developments over centuries.

How is the guide structured in terms of authors and essays?

It presents forty-five essays written by thirty-nine contributors, many of whom are internationally recognized experts in their fields.

What time range does the guide cover?

The guide surveys materials from about 500 years before the birth of Christ and attempts to present major theatrical developments up to the present day.

Sep 21, 2026

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