Oscar Wilde and the Theatre of the 1890s

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Oscar Wilde and the Theatre of the 1890s
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Kerry Powell
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:216
Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 152
Category/GenreLiterary studies - c 1800 to c 1900
Literary studies - plays and playwrights
ISBN/Barcode 9780521111676
ClassificationsDewey:822.8
Audience
Further/Higher Education
Illustrations 6 Halftones, unspecified

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 11 June 2009
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Kerry Powell examines Wilde's plays in relation to popular theatre of the 1890s, both in England and on the Continent. Along with revealing insights into the sexual and moral politics of the era, Powell provides an indispensable basis for understanding Wilde's achievement as a playwright. At his best, Wilde reconstitutes the dramatic fashions of the era, and partly as a result his plays have prevailed over the works, many now forgotten, that they simultaneously imitate and undermine. Through his analysis, Powell looks at the plays of, among others, Arthur Shirley, Lady Violet Greville, Sydney Grundy and W. Lestocq as well as the impact of Ibsen on Wilde. The book contains production photographs from plays by Wilde and by little-known playwrights and an appendix of biographies. Oscar Wilde and the Theatre of the 1890s will be of interest to students and specialists of drama, theatre history and English literature.