Edward Albee: A Critical Introduction (Cambridge Introductions to Literature (Paperback))
Cambridge University Press, 8/7/2017
EAN 9780521726955, ISBN10: 0521726956
Paperback, 214 pages, 22.8 x 15.1 x 1.1 cm
Language: English
Edward Albee (1928–2016) was a central figure in modern American theatre, and his bold and often experimental theatrical style won him wide acclaim. This book explores the issues, public and private, that so influenced Albee's vision over five decades, from his first great success, The Zoo Story (1959), to his last play, Me, Myself, & I (2008). Matthew Roudané covers all of Albee's original works in this comprehensive, clearly structured, and up-to-date study of the playwright's life and career: in Part I, the volume explores Albee's background and the historical contexts of his work; Part II concentrates on twenty-four of his plays, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962); and Part III investigates his critical reception. Surveying Albee's relationship with Broadway, and including interviews conducted with Albee himself, this book will be of great importance for theatregoers and students seeking an accessible yet incisive introduction to this extraordinary American playwright.
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.