Tracing the history of tragedy and comedy from their earliest beginnings to the present; this book offers readers an exceptional study of the development of both genres; grounded in analysis of landmark plays and their context. It argues that sacrifice is central to both genres; and demonstrates how it provides a key to understanding the grand sweep of Western drama. For students of literature and drama the volume serves as an accessible companion to over two millennia of drama organised by period; and reveals how sacrifice represents a through-line running from classical drama to todays reality TV and blockbuster movies.Across the chapters devoted to each period; Day explores how the meanings of sacrifice change over time; but never quite disappear. He charts the influences of religion; social change and politics on the status and purposes of theatre in each period; and on the drama itself. But it is through a close study of key plays that he reveals the continuities centred around sacrifice that persist and which illuminate aspects of human psychology and social organisation.Among the many plays and events considered are Aeschylus trilogy The Oresteia; Aristophanes Women at the Thesmorphia; Menanders The Bad-Tempered Man; the spectacles of the Roman Games; Senecas The Trojan Women; Plautuss The Rope; the Cycle plays and Everyman from the Middle Ages; Shakespeares King Lear and A Midsummer Nights Dream; Middletons The Revengers Tragedy; Jonsons Every Man in His Humour; Thomas Otways The Orphan; William Wycherleys The Country Wife; Wildes A Woman of No Importance; Beckett Waiting for Godot; Tennessee Williamss A Streetcar Named Desire; Suzan-Lori Parkss Topdog/Underdog; Sarah Kanes Blasted and Charlotte Jones Humble Boy. A conclusion examines the persistence of ideas of sacrifice in todays reality TV and blockbuster movies.
#611627 in eBooks 2016-05-10 2016-05-10File Name: B01F57R8N4
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Tolerating population growth?By Al McGlinskySure. sustainability matters. but...WHEN. if not now. do we stop the population explosion? Can you even imagine 9 billion people on this planet? Then what??1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerGreat book with a lot of information Helped me gain a new vision about the world and life.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. A powerful and compelling vision of urban sustainabilityBy Englewood Review of BooksCAN A CITY BE SUSTAINABLE?. a compendium of the current trends in urban sustainability. is a broad-reaching and useful guide for anyone involved in the work of urban planning and development. It is not an introductory work. and does expect a degree of familiarity with the language and ideology of urban planning/development. Beginning with the concession that our imagination for sustainable cities is still maturing. the opening chapter narrates a possible scenario of what a sustainable city might look like in fifty years or more.The book is divided into three parts: 1) "The City as Human Construct" (which explores the ways we imagine and articulate urban places and urban sustainability); 2) "The Urban Climate Challenge" and 3) "Politics. Equity and Livability". These sections cover a broad swath of the socioeconomic. governmental and ecological issues that will lead our cities in the direction of sustainability.The books final two chapters. which explore inclusion. cohesion and social justice were perhaps the ones that most captured my imagination. as these issues are often omitted in explorations of what urban sustainability might look like.Our world is undoubtedly on the road to urbanization. and the health and well-being of all of us. we need cities that are moving thoughtfully toward sustainability. This book is a wonderful work that will stir our imaginations. and highlight the challenges that lurk just beyond the horizon on this journey.
