A Critical Introduction to Twentieth-Century American Drama

This is the second volume in Christopher Bigsby's critical history of the important American dramatists and theatrical movements in this century. Volume 1 brought the story to 1940 and included the last plays of O'Neill. In two further volumes Dr Bigsby covers the period from 1940 to the present day. In Volume 2 he steps aside from the strict chronological progression to consider at length and in detail the achievement of the three great playwrights who dominate the post-war scene and who have earned an international reputation: Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and Edward Albee. All three brought to the Broadway Theatre (discussed separately in Volume 3) a strong degree of moral seriousness and aesthetic sensitivity. Dr Bigsby gives a full account of the early unpublished plays and the major works by each playwright, drawing on biographical detail and political background to illuminate his reading of the plays, which are illustrated by photographs of important productions.