Historical Dictionary of French Theater
By (author) Edward Forman
Publication date:
27 April 2010Length of book:
336 pagesPublisher
Scarecrow PressDimensions:
228x149mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780810849396
The term "French theater" evokes most immediately the glories of the classical period and the peculiarities of the Theater of the Absurd. It has given us the works of Corneille, Racine, and Moliere. In the Romantic era there was Alexander Dumas and surrealist works of Alfred Jarry, and then the Theater of the Absurd erupted in rationalistic France with Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
The Historical Dictionary of French Theater relates the history of the French theater through a chronology, introduction, bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on authors, trends, genres, concepts, and literary and historical developments that played a central role in the evolution of French theater.
The Historical Dictionary of French Theater relates the history of the French theater through a chronology, introduction, bibliography, and over 400 cross-referenced dictionary entries on authors, trends, genres, concepts, and literary and historical developments that played a central role in the evolution of French theater.
This new addition to the relatively recent series Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts attempts to put the whole of French theater into the dictionary format. The author’s introductory essay is concise and straightforward, outlining the important periods and highlighting the major themes and people. The dictionary begins with a chronology, starting with a performance in 1283 and ending with new productions in 2009. The span of dates underscores the importance of the topic. The dictionary itself covers authors, actors, plays, themes, and concepts. More than 400 entries vary in length from a paragraph to up to three pages and contain cross-references. Entries for theater conventions such as Aside and Chorus are defined with particular attention to how they are used in the French theater. The volume finishes with an extensive bibliography divided by time periods and by concepts within the time periods. An excellently presented volume. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.