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The Cambridge Introduction to English Theatre, 1660-1900

Hardback

Main Details

Title The Cambridge Introduction to English Theatre, 1660-1900
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Peter Thomson
SeriesCambridge Introductions to Literature
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:326
Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 152
Category/GenreDrama
ISBN/Barcode 9780521839259
ClassificationsDewey:792.094209
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations 32 Halftones, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 14 September 2006
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This 2006 introduction aims to share with readers the author's enjoyment of the turbulent 240-year history of a theatre that tried, often against the odds, to be 'modern'. In each of its five parts, it deals successively with history and cultural context, with the plays and the actors who caught the imagination of their era. Peter Thomson's text, always approachable, is enriched by quotations and carefully selected illustrations that capture 'the spirit of the age' under consideration. Beginning with the reopening of the playhouses under licence from Charles II, Thomson introduces the modern English theatre by breaking off at key dates - 1700, 1737, 1789 and 1843 - in order to explore both continuity and innovation. Familiar names and well-known plays feature alongside the forgotten and neglected. This is a reading of dramatic history that keeps constantly in mind the material circumstances that produced, and sometimes oppressed, a supremely popular theatre.

Author Biography

Peter Thomson is Emeritus Professor of Drama, University of Exeter.

Reviews

'well-executed and clear.' Times Literary Supplement