Richard G. Scharine

From Class to Caste in American Drama

Political and Social Themes Since the 1930s

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The American political theatre from the Depression to the present is the subject of this unique new study. Richard Scharine examines issues that shaped the development of the United States during this period, as they were portrayed in selected American plays first produced between 1933 and 1985. Drawing upon fifty years of social, political, and theatrical history, he provides an understanding of the events, ideas, and emotional matrices out of which the plays were born, as well as offering an analysis of human documents that are a reflection of the political events of a time. Along the way, Scharine illustrates how the dramatic representation of American inequalities has evolved in recent decades from the concerns of class to the way class is predetermined by caste. The work begins with an introductory essay that defines political theatre and shows how it varies from standard drama in plot structure, character, theme, and expectations of its audience. The body of the book is then divided into seven historically labelled chapters, each of which provides a history of the period in relation to an evolving principle; a detailed analysis of particular dramas that illustrate that evolution; and a suggestion of other plays in which the evolution can be further studied. The periods that make up the chapters are the Great Depression, World War II, the cold war, Vietnam, and the civil rights movement. The plays of each period are discussed, with particular emphasis placed on their derivation from the assumptions about class and caste of the preceding era. Among the works analyzed are Waiting for Lefty, Watch on the Rhine, The Crucible, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine, In White America, Black Elk Speaks, and As Is. This work will be a valuable reference source for courses in American theatre history, popular culture, and women's and ethnic studies, and a welcome addition to college, university, and public libraries.

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Hinweis: Dieser Artikel kann nur an eine deutsche Lieferadresse ausgeliefert werden.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Praeger
• Seitenzahl: 334
• Erscheinungstermin: 21. März 1991
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 240mm x 161mm x 23mm
• Gewicht: 666g
• ISBN-13: 9780313267376
• ISBN-10: 0313267375
• Artikelnr.: 25566129

Autorenporträt

Richard G. Scharine Ph.D.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction The Great Depression: Social Themes in the Theatrical
Mainstream World War II: Theatrical Themes from Antiwar to Prowar to
Postwar The Cold War: Onstage Sublimated Protest and the Marx of Satan
Vietnam: Theatre as a Mirror to National Institutions Civil Rights: A Caste
of Millions Lights Up a Dark Theatre Civil Rights Theatre Sequel I: Race
Civil Rights Theatre Sequel II: Gender Looking Ahead: Political Themes in
the American Drama of the 1990s Appendix A: Milestones in American
Political Drama Since the 1930s Appendix B: Annotated Bibliography of
Representative Films and Videotapes Bibliography Index