"The evil that men do" has been chronicled for thousands of years on the European stage, and perhaps nowhere else is human fear of our own evil more detailed than in its personifications in theater. In Stages of Evil, Robert Lima explores the sociohistorical implications of Christian and pagan representations of evil and the theatrical creativity that occultism has engendered. By examining examples of alchemy, astronomy, demonology, exorcism, fairies, vampires, witchcraft, hauntings, and voodoo in prominent plays, Stages of Evil explores American and European perceptions of occultism from medieval times to the modern age.

About the Author
Robert Lima, professor emeritus of Spanish and comparative literatures at Pennsylvania State University, is the author of twenty-two books, including Dark Prisms: Occultism in Hispanic Drama, and numerous articles and translations.

Reviews
Draws on an unusually wide range of background materials to make an important and original contribution to the scholarship of the drama. - Stanton J. Linden, author of Darke Hierogliphicks: Alchemy in English Literature from Chaucer to the Restoration



Book Information
ISBN 9780813123622
Author Robert Lima
Format Hardback
Page Count 344
Imprint The University Press of Kentucky
Publisher The University Press of Kentucky