This book locates the theatre of Marina Carr within a female genealogy that revises the patriarchal origins of modern Irish drama. The creative vision of Lady Augusta Gregory underpins the analysis of Carr's dramatic vision throughout the volume in order to re-situate the woman artist as central to Irish theatre. For Carr, 'writing is more about the things you cannot understand than the things you can', and her evocation of 'pastures of the unknown' forms the thematic through-line of this work. Lady Gregory's plays offer an intuitive lineage with Carr which can be identified in their use of language, myth, landscape, women, the transformative power of storytelling and infinite energies of nature and the Otherworld. This book reconnects the severed bridge between Carr and Gregory in order to acknowledge a foundational status for all women in Irish theatre.

About the Author
Melissa Sihra is Head of Drama at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and Assistant Professor of Drama. She is editor of Women in Irish Drama: A Century of Authorship and Representation and was President of the Irish Society for Theatre Research from 2011-15. She is a Dramaturg and regular speaker at the Lady Gregory Autumn Gathering at Coole Park.

Reviews
"An erudite, thought-provoking and startling fresh academic study which situates Marina Carr's plays in relation to the patriarchal lineage of Irish modern drama. ... Overall this book offers valuable critical study on Carr and - accurately - locates her within the female genealogy of modern Irish drama." (Mia Colleran, The Irish Times, August 24, 2019)
"Marina Carr: Pastures of the Unknown is a well-argued and thought-provoking addition to the small but growing corpus of critical studies on the theatre of Marina Carr." (Adrienne Leavy, Reading Ireland, Issue 10, 2019)

Book Information
ISBN 9783319983301
Author Melissa Sihra
Format Hardback
Page Count 303
Imprint Springer International Publishing AG
Publisher Springer International Publishing AG