This rich and varied portrait of the drama from 1660 to 1714 provides students with essential information about playwrights, staging and genres, situating them in the social and political culture of the time. No longer seen as a privileged arena for select dramatists and elite courtiers, the Restoration theatre is revealed in all of its tumult, energy and conflict. The fourteen newly-commissioned essays examine the theatre, paying attention to major playwrights such as Dryden, Wycherly and Congreve and also to more minor works and to plays by the first professional female dramatists. The book begins with chapters on the performance of the drama in its own time, on theatres, acting and staging, and continues with the main dramatic genres and themes, with a final chapter on the critical history of the drama. The volume also includes a thorough chronology and biographies and bibliographies of dramatists.

Fourteen specially commissioned essays provide essential information about staging, playwrights, themes and genres in the drama of the Restoration.
Reviews
'A series of lively essays ... a valuable addition to Restoration theatre criticism.' Speech and Drama



Book Information
ISBN 9780521582155
Author Deborah Payne Fisk
Format Hardback
Page Count 324
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 647g
Dimensions(mm) 238mm * 154mm * 25mm