Verse Drama in England; 1900-2015 provides a critical and historical exploration of a tradition of modern dramatic creativity that has received very little scholarly attention. Exploring the emergence of a distinctly modern verse drama at the turn of the century and its development into the twenty-first; it counters common assumptions that the form is a marginal; fundamentally outdated curiosity. Through an examination of the extensive and diverse engagement of literary and theatrical writers; directors and musicians; Irene Morra identifies in modern verse drama a consistent and often prominent attempt to expand upon; revitalize; and redefine the contemporary English stage.Dramatists discussed include Stephen Phillips; Gordon Bottomley; John Masefield; James Elroy Flecker; T. S. Eliot; W. H. Auden; Ronald Duncan; Christopher Fry; John Arden; Anne Ridler; Tony Harrison; Steven Berkoff; Caryl Churchill; and Mike Bartlett. The book explores the negotiation of these dramatists with the changing position of verse drama in relation to constructions of national and communal audience; aesthetic challenge; and dramatic heritage. Key to the study is the self-conscious positioning of many of these dramatists in relation to an assumed mainstream tradition ndash; and the various critical responses that that positioning has provoked. The study advocates for a scholarly revaluation of what must be identified as an influential and overlooked tradition of aesthetic challenge and creativity.
#3757385 in eBooks 2016-07-26 2016-07-26File Name: B01J4TA1N8
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