Alan Bennett

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Alan Bennett
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Kara McKechnie
SeriesThe Television Series
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:232
Dimensions(mm): Height 216,Width 138
Category/GenreTelevision
Literary studies - from c 1900 -
Literary studies - plays and playwrights
ISBN/Barcode 9780719068065
ClassificationsDewey:822.914
Audience
Undergraduate
Illustrations Illustrations, black & white

Publishing Details

Publisher Manchester University Press
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publication Date 1 November 2007
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Alan Bennett is one of the UK's most well-known and successful writers. His oeuvre is one where populist art forms and intellectually complex arguments co-exist seamlessly, allowing the work to appeal to a wide audience. Bennett's familiar voice combines both an appreciation for the past with a critical assessment of contemporary Britain, often through relentlessly detailed observation of himself and of others. Bennett has acted, written, directed, presented or edited in almost every conceivable dramatic medium, including stage, television, radio, film and print media. This book is the first to focus on his often neglected work for television, from the mid-1960s right through to the present. It encompasses formats such as the single play (the rarely seen 1970s collaborations with Stephen Frears and Lindsay Anderson), the two Talking Heads series, perceived as a reinvention of the television monologue, and his autobiographical documentaries. While providing a context of television drama in which Bennett's output is embedded, this study also provides compact overviews of his work in other media. The book is intended for those interested in Alan Bennett, his many voices and the history of television drama. -- .

Author Biography

Kara McKechnie is Lecturer in Dramaturgy (Theatre and Performance) at the University of Leeds -- .