Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. Albee's Life and World: 1. Life; 2. Overview: the theater of Edward Albee; 3. Contexts; Part II. The Plays: 4. Ritualized forms of expiation; 5. Challenging Broadway; 6. 'The greatest sin in living is doing it badly – stupidly, or as if you weren't really alive'; 7. A quest for consciousness; 8. As I lay dying; 9. A theater of loss; Part III. Dialogues: 10. Critical reception; Epilogue: final curtain; Notes; Further reading; Index.
This book covers all of Albee's original plays, spanning his entire career and containing unparalleled insights from personal interviews with the playwright.
Matthew Roudané is Regents' Professor of English at Georgia State University. He has published widely on various aspects of American drama, particularly the theatre of major figures including Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Edward Albee. He is editor of The Cambridge Companion to Tennessee Williams (1997) and of The Cambridge Companion to Sam Shepard (2002).
'Matthew Roudané has been one of Albee's most astute and discerning
critics for more than thirty years. In his energetic, engaging, and
precise prose, he offers analyses of twenty-five Albee plays,
enriched by the playwright's words from Roudané's many interviews
with him. This book is accessible to the general reader and
theatergoer, but rewards the specialist just as well. Overviews of
Albee's life and work establish the themes that undergird Roudané's
treatment of the plays – Albee's existential sense of human loss
and being lost balanced by a profound sense of hope, his conviction
of the preeminence of consciousness in living human life to the
full, and his belief in the regenerative powers of the imagination.
The coherent vision Roudané brings to, or reveals in, Albee's work,
from The Zoo Story (1959) to Me, Myself, & I (2008), is simply
stunning.' Brenda Murphy, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor
of English, Emeritus
'It would be hard to imagine a more thorough, intelligent,
persuasive, and sympathetic account of the work of Edward Albee
than this. The word 'Introduction' is too modest. This is a
comprehensive account not only of the plays and the man who wrote
them but of the theatrical, social, and political context in which
they were written. This will surely stand as a key work for all
those interested in one of the finest playwrights America has
produced.' Christopher Bigsby, Professor of American Studies,
University of East Anglia
'… this current volume provides an important overview of all of
Albee's plays, in ten beautifully written chapters which provide
important historical and sociological context for Albee's theatre
on and off Broadway. While the volume is an accessible work for
newcomers to these plays, it is far more than an introductory work,
giving shape and meaning to the career of one of America's most
iconoclastic dramatists … Written in a tight, evocative, and swift
narrative style, Roudané provide not just an introduction to, but a
remarkable and incredibly useful overview of Albee's work, with an
excellent bibliography and index, and more than a touch of personal
admiration for its subject.' David Crespy, The Edward Albee Society
E-Newsletter
'In this clear, concise introduction to the works of Edward Albee
(1928–2016), Roudané (Georgia State Univ.) situates Albee's
oeuvre in public and private historical contexts through a
chronological examination of 26 of his plays. … Recommended.
Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals;
general readers.' K. Tancheva, Choice
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
