The Cambridge Companion to American Women Playwrights (Cambridge Companions to Literature) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521571847 ISBN 13: 9780521571845

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1999

Synopsis

This volume addresses the work of women playwrights throughout the history of the American theatre, from the early pioneers to contemporary feminists. Each chapter introduces the reader to the work of one or more playwrights and to a way of thinking about plays. Together they cover significant writers such as Rachel Crothers, Susan Glaspell, Lillian Hellman, Sophie Treadwell, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Megan Terry, Ntozake Shange, Adrienne Kennedy, Wendy Wasserstein, Marsha Norman, Beth Henley and Maria Irene Fornes. Playwrights are discussed in the context of topics such as early comedy and melodrama, feminism and realism, the Harlem Renaissance, the feminist resurgence of the 1970s and feminist dramatic theory. A detailed chronology and illustrations enhance the volume, which also includes bibliographical essays on recent criticism and on African-American women playwrights before 1930.

About this title

Review:

'... an excellent collection of fifteen essays presenting complex analyses of the position of women and women's drama throughout American history, frequently offering opportunities for future research.' Theatre Research International

Book Description:

This volume addresses the work of women playwrights from the early American pioneers to contemporary feminists. Each chapter introduces the reader to the work of one or more playwrights in the context of topics such as early comedy and melodrama, feminism and realism, the Harlem Renaissance and feminism.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0521571847
• ISBN 13: 9780521571845
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 324
• Editor: Murphy Brenda