Sources of Dramatic Theory: Volume 1, Plato to Congreve

This book makes available major theoretical writings on drama from the Greeks to the late seventeenth century for students of dramatic theory.

Michael J. Sidnell (Edited by), D. J. Conacher (Contributions by), Barbara Kerslake (Contributions by), Pia Kleber (Contributions by), C. J. McDonough (Contributions by), Damiano Pietropaolo (Contributions by)

9780521089432, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 November 2008

328 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.48 kg

"...Sidnell has drawn material together in an interesting and useful way." Douglas H. White, Letters In Canada

This volume includes major theoretical writings on drama from the Greeks, through the Renaissance up to the late seventeenth century, compiled and edited for students of drama and theatre. There are substantial extracts from twenty-eight writers including Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Scaliger, Castelvetro, Guarini, Sidney, Jonson, Corneille, Racine, Dryden and Congreve. The compilers have chosen writers who present detailed arguments about issues that are sill relevant to our understanding of drama and theatre. Many of the texts have been freshly translated and all have newly been annotated and introduced by the compilers, who draw attention to recurrent themes by a system of cross-references. Michael Sidnell's useful introduction explores the issues which frequently concern these writers and practitioners: the nature of imitation, the relation of dramatic text to live performance, the effect of stage action on audience emotion and behaviour - issues which still concern critics and theorists of drama today. Later volumes will cover the period from Diderot to Victor Hugo, modern dramatic theory and performance theory.

Acknowledgement
Note on the texts
1. Introduction
2. Plato: The Republic, III 3. Aristotle: The Poetics
4. Horace: The Art of Poetry
5. Donatus: On Comedy
6. Francesco Robortello: Commentary on Aristotle's Poetics
7. Julius Caesar Scaliger: Poetics
8. Bartolome de Torres de Naharro: Introduction to Propalladia
9. Antonfrancesco Grazzini: The Witch: introductory dialogue
10. Giambattista Giraldi: Prologue to Altile On the Composition of Comedies and Tragedies
11. Ludovico Castelvetro: On the Art of Poetry
12. Richard Edwards: Prologue to Damon and Pythias
13. Giambattista Guarini: The Compendium of Tragicomic Poetry
14. Sforza Oddi: Prologue to The Prison of Love
15. George Whetstone: Promos and Cassandra Epistle Dedicatory
16. Angelo Ingegneri: On Mimetic Poetry 17. Lorenzo Giacomini: On Purgation in Tragedy 18. Sir Philip Sidney: The Defence of Poetry
19. Lope de Vega Carpio: New Art of Making Comedies at the Present Time
20. Ben Jonson: Timber, or Discoveries Induction to Every Man Out of his Humour Prologue to Every Man in His Humour The Magnetic Lady Chorus
21. Thomas Heywood: The Author to his Book An Apology for Actors 22. Tirso de Molina: The Country Houses of Toledo
23. On Le Cid: Observations on Le Cid The Opinion of the French Academy Concerning Le Cid
24. Francois Hedelin, Abbe d'Aubignac: The Practical Art of the Theatre
25. Pierre Corneille: On the Purpose and Parts of a Play On Verisimilitude and the Necessary On the Three Unities
26. Charles de Saint-Evremond: On Ancient and Modern Tragedy
27. Jean Racine: Notes to Aristotle's Poetics
Prefaces
28. Thomas Rymer: The Tragedies of the Last Age A Short View of Tragedy
29. John Dryden: An Essay of Dramatic Poesy
30. William Congreve: On Humour in Comedy
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Dance & other performing arts [AS]