Why does comedy matter? Is it celebratory or subversive? What makes it flourish, and which creative forces resist it? English Comedy addresses these and related questions by invoking a variety of works from Aristophanes to Walt Disney, while focusing on the traditions of comic writing in England. Poetry, the novel and (above all) drama are examined to assess the constrictions and liberations of genre, the negotiations or divergences between comic practice and theory, and the dynamics of theatrical language. Ranging from medieval and Renaissance drama through Romantic poetry to twentieth-century literature and philosophy, English Comedy makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the heritage of comic writing.
This book, now available in paperback,brings together theatre historians to identify and exemplify a variety of productive new approaches to the investigation of plays, players, playwrights, pl
This innovative collection brings together a group of leading theatre historians to identify and exemplify a variety of productive new approaches to the investigation of plays, players, playwrights, p
Richly exploited comic situations, effervescent wit, and intricate plots combine to make Sheridan's work among the best of all English comedy. This edition includes his most famous plays, The Rivals,
