Irelandrsquo;s Abbey Theatre was founded in 1904. Under the guidance of W. B. Yeats and Lady Augusta Gregory it became instrumental to the success of many of the leading Irish playwrights and actors of the early twentieth century.Conventional wisdom holds that the playwright Sean Orsquo;Casey was the first to offer a new vision of Irish authenticity in the people and struggles of inner-city Dublin in his groundbreaking trilogy "The Shadow of a Gunman;" "The Plough and the Stars;" and "Juno and the Paycock." Challenging this view; Mannion argues that there was an established tradition of urban plays within the Abbey repertoire that has long been overlooked by critics. She seeks to restore attention to a lesser-known corpus of Irish urban plays; specifically those that appeared at the Abbey Theatre from the theatrersquo;s founding until 1951; when the original theatre was destroyed by fire. Mannion illustrates distinct patterns within this Abbey urban genre and considers in particular themes of poverty; gender; and class. She provides historical context for the plays and considers the figures who helped shape the Abbey and this urban subset of plays. With detailed analysis of box office records and extensive appendixes of cast members and production schedules; this book offers a rich source of archival material as well as a fascinating revision to the story of this celebrated institution.
2015-01-28 2015-01-28File Name: B00SUSK9DC
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I have read this twice and learn something new each ...By Malcolm GaileyI have read this twice and learn something new each time. It is full of facts and explanations true to history.3 of 8 people found the following review helpful. the worst bookBy Customerthis was a total waste.the author; while being an architect; is no historian.the book is heavily biased and tendentious.it has little to do with the jewish temple...he is mostly in love with the dome of the rock.the editing and grammar was atrocious.and the price was outrageous.I already wrote to the publisher but have not heard from them.please take this off your list.I would love a refund if possible.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An original and interesting approachBy Patrick J. QuinnProfessor Balfours approach is original and interesting in that his introductory chapters reflect painstaking efforts tostudy the religious history of the context within which the very concept of the temple emerged.The topic; as he chooses to pursue it could have been dull and boring; as so many of the relevant historical sources tend to be.It is a topic which appeals to specialists in particular aspects of Jewish history and architecture. I am sometimes bored by works which I simply need to read forfor my own research. Yet for me Balfours book becomes; at times almost a page-turner. HIs refreshing command of clear; economical English enables him to give new lifeto an epic evolution in human history; using as his medium the evolving design of the Temple itself.Not a professional or academic historian; his view of both the temple and its history seems to be that of a scholar/ architect who desperately needsto delve into the religious and political background of his subject in oreder to offer a clearer and more palatable description to those; like me; who have read on the subject yetneed a more coherent; comprehensive narrative. I question his choice of illustrations in some cases and would have preferred to see him use some of thewonderful Bartlett engravings of the landscape and urban context of Jerusalem. Still his choices are informative and relevant so I cannot fault him there.What makes it most interesting for me is that the Religious context is carefully set before any architectural commentary begins. In that he reminds me of some of the betterwritings about such equally elusive topics as Mount Athos; Scellig Michael; or even the monastery of St. Gall.It takes a special mind to make such material palatable and fascinating to a wide range of readers.I believe that Dr. Balfour has done that and in doing so surprised those of us who assumed that his next book would continue his series of studies of great cities.I suppose that; since Jerusalem is a critically important city; delving into the history of its raison detre is not at all astray from his scholarly arc.
