An outline history of American drama

Title
  1. An outline history of American drama, by Walter J. Meserve.
Published by
  1. Totowa, N.J., Littlefield, Adams, 1965.
Author
  1. Meserve, Walter J.

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Details

Description
  1. xiv, 378 pages; 21 cm
Series statement
  1. Littlefield quality paperbacks, 68
Uniform title
  1. Littlefield, Adams quality paperback ; 68.
Subject
  1. American drama > History and criticism
  2. American drama
  3. Drama
  4. Geschichte
  5. USA
Genre/Form
  1. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Contents
  1. ch. I. The beginnings of American drama. I. Colonial theater and drama : Drama in the colonies: first performances ; Actors and acting companies in the colonies ; Drama in the colonies -- II. Drama during the Revolution and the post-revolutionary period to 1800 : Plays reflecting patriot views during the Revolution ; Plays reflecting Loyalist views during the Revolution ; Nonpartisan drama: "Both your houses" ; Royall Tyler: The beginnings of American comedy ; William Dunlap: Father of American drama ; Post-revolutionary drama: varied directions -- III. Theater during the Revolution and the post-revolutionary period to 1800 -- ch. II. Drama of a new nation, 1800-1865: a period of experimentation and imitation. I. Plays from the town crier: nationalism on the stage : Political events and issues ; Reflected glory: America's past -- II. Poetic drama: the serious dramatist at work : The pattern of poetic drama ; Foreign influences on poetic drama ; Native themes in poetic drama -- III. Native American character types: Jonathan, Sambo, and metamora : The Yankee character ; The Negro character ; The Indian character -- IV. A mirror of the times : The comedy of America ; An active and growing society ; The appeal of melodrama before the Civil War ; Shortcuts to popularity: adaptations, translations, burlesques, poets and novelists as playwrights ; Transatlantic evaluation: American drama in England before the Civil War -- V. Yankee originality: America's contribution to world theater : Introducing Tambo and Bones! ; Here comes the showboat! ; "The world's greatest hit." -- VI. Theater before the Civil War : Criticism of all theater ; Westward ho! and southward y'all! ; To build a theater.
  2. ch. III. From profession to art: American drama from the Civil War to World War I.I. The rise of realism in American drama : Local color drama and the awakening of a native tradition ; Suggestions of realism ; William Dean Howells: the reticent rebel ; James A. Herne: an epoch marking realism -- II. The beginnings of the social drama: comment, comedy, and melodrama : Toward a social comedy ; Issues and attitudes III. The age of melodrama : Melodrama: vivid and violent, sweet and sentimental ; Historical and romantic melodrama ; Melodrama of crime and detection ; Social melodrama -- IV. The popular farce : Farce and its varieties ; Everyone writes farce ; Masters of the farce -- V. Poetic drama: Civil War to World War I : Poetic drama and the rise of realism ; A revival of interest in poetic drama -- VI. A new seriousness : William Vaughn Moody: Believer in men ; Rachel Crothers: Historian of manners ; Edward Sheldon: Romantic realist ; Charles Rann Kennedy: Christian idealist -- VII. Beginnings in dramatic criticism : Whither American drama? ; American dramatic theory ; Dramatic criticism -- VIII. A developing theater : Realism in the theater ; Innovations in theater management ; Theater activity: expansive and experimental -- ch. IV. American drama between the World Wars: from the Provincetown to world renown. I. An approaching transformation : The condition of the theater ; Suggestions without excitement: 1915-1919 -- II. Eugene O'Neill: Creative searcher ; Life and influences ; Experimentation in form ; Search for self -- III. Let freedom reign: realism to poetry : Insurgent realism ; Expressionism in the twenties ; Sidney Howard and social drama of the twenties ; Modern folk drama ; Pageant drama ; Poetic drama between the wars -- IV. From right to left: propaganda to high comedy : Art as a weapon ; Troubled playwrights ; The heightened problem ; Satire on the stage ; Light comedy ; High comedy -- V. "Townhall tonight": melodrama & farce : Modern melodrama ; Same old farce -- VI. Searchers and finders : Maxwell Anderson: Prophet, dreamer and interpreter ; Philip Barry: "Looking for an answer" ; Thornton Wilder: Man will prevail ; William Saroyan: "The beautiful people" -- VII. Criticism: an emerging tradition : Rise of the educated critic ; Guide lines by the journalists ; Cosmopolitan tastes ; Marxist criticism ; Critical books and magazines -- VIII. Achievement in theater : Approaching maturity ; Theater in the twenties: prosperity ; Theater in the thirties: struggle -- ch. IV. American drama of mid-twentieth century from 1941 to the present. I. American drama and World War II : Melodrama and propaganda ; A more serious tone ; War farce and comedy -- II. International and American dramatists : Arthur Miller and the dignity of man ; Tennessee Williams: Master of compassion -- III. Pre-war dramatists : The posthumous Eugene O'Neill ; Fading slowly away ; A past and a future -- IV. Art and entertainment : Seriousness and entertainment ; Contemporary melodrama ; Contemporary comedy ; Drama in poetry ; Musical comedy ; Absurdists in America.
Owning institution
  1. Princeton University Library
Bibliography (note)
  1. Includes bibliographies.