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The Bedford Introduction to Drama
Eighth Edition| ©2018 Lee A. Jacobus
Offering a broad survey of drama from the ancient Greeks to the present — including many new contemporary prize-winners — The Bedford Introduction to Drama has the plays you want to teach in a collection flexible enough to serve your needs in a variety of courses including introduction to
Offering a broad survey of drama from the ancient Greeks to the present — including many new contemporary prize-winners — The Bedford Introduction to Drama has the plays you want to teach in a collection flexible enough to serve your needs in a variety of courses including introduction to drama or theater, theater appreciation, play analysis, or theater history. Fifty chronologically arranged plays are illuminated by insightful commentaries and casebooks that enrich students’ contextual understanding and encourage critical thinking. Concise introductions for each historical period and play emphasize theater design, staging, and acting style, and a wealth of photographs and illustrations help students visualize plays in performance. Students are fully supported in the course with a guide to writing about drama, a glossary, and additional resources for reading and understanding plays in LaunchPad Solo for Literature.
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The plays you love to teach with the support your students need to appreciate them.
Offering a broad survey of drama from the ancient Greeks to the present — including many new contemporary prize-winners — The Bedford Introduction to Drama has the plays you want to teach in a collection flexible enough to serve your needs in a variety of courses including introduction to drama or theater, theater appreciation, play analysis, or theater history. Fifty chronologically arranged plays are illuminated by insightful commentaries and casebooks that enrich students’ contextual understanding and encourage critical thinking. Concise introductions for each historical period and play emphasize theater design, staging, and acting style, and a wealth of photographs and illustrations help students visualize plays in performance. Students are fully supported in the course with a guide to writing about drama, a glossary, and additional resources for reading and understanding plays in LaunchPad Solo for Literature.
Features
A comprehensive and well balanced selection of plays spans every major period of drama from classical times to the present. The collection includes in-depth treatment of Sophocles and Shakespeare, several American multicultural plays, strong representation of female playwrights with 12 plays by women, and the strongest selection of contemporary plays with eight plays that have premiered since 2000.
35 commentaries illuminate the plays and playwrights from the perspectives of reviewers, directors, and playwrights. Students’ understanding of the contexts from which plays emerge is further informed by two thematic casebooks comprised of documents, images, and commentaries focusing on specific topics such as production issues in Death of a Salesman.
A strong emphasis on plays in performance helps students understand historical developments in theater and their effects on interpretation. Each historical introduction discusses theater design, staging, and acting style, and each play introduction gives a brief history of the play in performance. Over 175 photographs and illustrations help students visualize the choices of actors, set designers, and directors.
Editorial features designed with students in mind include a succinct but thorough introduction to the history, genres, and elements of drama; an appendix on writing about drama with student models; and a helpful glossary.
Helpful instructor resources can be downloaded for free from the Instructor Resource tab on the catalog page and include: a selected bibliography for each dramatic period and its playwrights, a list of suggested audiovisual resources, sample syllabi, additional assignment ideas, the full text of Anna Cora Mowatt’s Fashion for those instructors who want to assign a full-length American melodrama, and a cultural casebook on the Abbey Theatre and the Irish Literary Renaissance.
New to This Edition
13 new plays span the major dramatic periods and include: Euripides’ Medea, Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals, Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding, and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.
Greater emphasis on current, critically acclaimed plays means more opportunities for students to see performances of the plays they read. Research into the most frequently produced plays of recent seasons informed the selection of new contemporary plays that have premiered since 2000. Among them are many prize winners, including Quiara Alegría Hudes’s Water by the Spoonful, Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar, and Stephen Karam’s The Humans.
New commentaries and a revised casebook provide context for the plays and opportunities for analysis, discussion, and research. Six commentaries are new and include an excerpt from Bernard Shaw’s preface to Pygmalion and August Wilson’s speech on black theater and performance, "The Ground on Which I Stand." Two of the new commentaries are offered in the revised cultural casebook on "The Woman Question" in the late nineteenth century.
A trimmer look and feel makes the eighth edition more student- friendly than ever. We have reduced the trim size and the length while still offering a broad and balanced selection of plays, commentaries, and images.
LaunchPad Solo for Literature can be packaged at no additional cost and helps beginning drama and literature students learn and practice close reading and critical thinking skills in an interactive environment. Easy-to-use and easy-to-assign modules based on widely taught literary selections guide students through three common assignment types: responding to a reading, drawing connections between texts, and instructor-led collaborative close reading. Of particular relevance for drama students are: six interactive drama modules (based on six major plays), exercises on the elements of drama, and reading comprehension quizzes for several of the plays in the book.
"The Bedford Introduction to Drama is the best anthology available, offering wide-ranging coverage and significant context. I am able to adapt the book to several courses."
–Mark Cosdon, Allegheny College and President, American Theatre and Drama Society"I have not yet found another anthology that can ‘hold a candle’ to The Bedford Introduction to Drama. The diverse collection of plays, essays, and contextual information that is included with the plays, are just perfect for my students."
–Jeannine Russell, Wichita State University
"An excellent balance between introductory and advanced materials that acknowledges drama and theatre as both literary and performance arts."
–Gregory Kable, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

The Bedford Introduction to Drama
Eighth Edition| ©2018
Lee A. Jacobus
Digital Options

The Bedford Introduction to Drama
Eighth Edition| 2018
Lee A. Jacobus
Table of Contents
*New to this Edition
CONTENTS
Preface for Instructors
INTRODUCTION: THINKING ABOUT DRAMA
What Is Drama?
Drama and Ritual
Drama: The Illusion of Reality
Seeing a Play Onstage
Theaters and Their Effect
Reading a Play
The Great Ages of Drama
Egyptian Drama
Greek Drama
Roman Drama
Medieval Drama
Renaissance Drama
Late-Seventeenth – and Eighteenth-Century Drama
Drama from the Nineteenth Century through the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Drama in the Early and Mid-Twentieth Century
Contemporary Drama
Genres of Drama
Tragedy
Comedy
Tragicomedy
Analyzing a Play through the Elements of Drama: Lady Gregory’s The Rising of the Moon
Plot
Characterization
Setting
Dialogue
Music
Movement
Theme
Lady Gregory, The Rising of the Moon
GREEK DRAMA
The Development of Greek Drama
The Greeks and Their Gods
The Greek Stage
The Greek Actor
Genres of Greek Drama
Tragedy
Satyr Plays
Comedy
The Great Age of Greek Drama
Greek Drama Timeline
Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Agamemnon in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Lois Spatz, Oresteia: Trilogy Preserved
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex in Performance
COMMENTARIES:
Aristotle, Poetics: Comedy and Epic and Tragedy
Sigmund Freud, The Oedipus Complex
Sophocles, Antigone
Antigone in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Oliver Taplin, Emotion and Meaning in Greek Tragedy
*Euripides, Medea
Medea in Performance
Aristophanes, Lysistrata
Lysistrata in Performance
ROMAN DRAMA
Indigenous Sources
The Roman Stage
The Roman Actor
Roman Drama Timeline
Roman Dramatists
Plautus, Excerpt from The Twin Menaechmi (Act III)
Terence, Excerpt from The Brothers (Act V)
Seneca, Excerpt from Thyestes (Act V, Scene ii)
MEDIEVAL DRAMA
The Role of the Church
Miracle Plays
Mystery Plays
Morality Plays
Japanese Drama
The Medieval Stage
The Medieval Actor
Medieval Drama Timeline
Hrosvitha, Dulcitius
Dulcitius in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Sue-Ellen Case, Re-viewing Hrotsvit
The Wakefield Master, The Second Shepherds' Pageant
The Second Shepherds' Pageant in Performance
Anonymous, Everyman
Everyman in Performance
RENAISSANCE DRAMA
The Italian Theater
Commedia dell’Arte
Elizabethan Drama
The Elizabethan Theater
The Elizabethan Actor
The Elizabethan Audience
Female Characters on the English Stage
The Masque
Spanish Drama
Renaissance Drama Timeline
Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus in Performance
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Linda Bamber, On a Midsummer Night’s Dream
William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Hamlet in Performance
COMMENTARY:
A.C. Bradley, Hamlet’s Melancholy
Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Life’s a Dream
Life’s a Dream in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Ed Morales, Review of Jose Rivera’s Production of Sueño
LATE-SEVENTEENTH- AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY DRAMA
Theater on the Continent: Neoclassicm
French Tragedy
French Comedy: Molière
Theater in England: The Restoration
Eighteenth-Century Drama
The Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Actor
Drama in Japan
Late-Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Drama Timeline
Molière, Tartuffe
Tartuffe in Performance
Aphra Behn, The Rover, or The Banished Cavaliers
The Rover, or The Banished Cavaliers in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Elaine Hobby, Courtship and Marriage in The Rover
Chikamatsu Monzaemon, The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
The Love Suicides at Sonezaki in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Donald H. Shively, The Development of Theater Buildings
*Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The Rivals
The Rivals in Performance
NINETEENTH CENTURY THROUGH THE TURN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
The Nineteenth-Century Theater
The Nineteenth-Century Actor
The Astor Place Riot
Romantic Drama
Melodrama
The Well-Made Play
The Rise of Realism
Nineteenth-Century Drama Timeline
Henrik Ibsen, A Doll House
A Doll House in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Henrik Ibsen, Notes for the Modern Tragedy
August Strindberg, Miss Julie
Miss Julie in Performance
COMMENTARY:
August Strindberg, From the Preface to Miss Julie
Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest
The Importance of Being Earnest in Performance
Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Peter Brook, On Chekhov
*Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion
Pygmalion in Performance
COMMENTARIES:
*Bernard Shaw, from the Preface to Pygmalion
*Michael Holroyd, The History of Pygmalion
A Cultural Casebook: The “Woman Question” in the Late Nineteenth Century
John Stuart Mill, On the Subjection of Women
August Strindberg, The Woman Question: Women’s Rights
Johan Thorsten Sellin, Marriage and Divorce in Sweden
Richard Panofsky, A Nineteenth-Century Husband’s Letter to His Wife
Helen Watterson Moody, What It Means to Be a Wife
*Shani D’Cruze, Women and the Family
*Helene E. Roberts, The Fallen Woman
DRAMA IN THE EARLY AND MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY
The Heritage of Realism
Realism and Myth
Myth and Culture
Poetic Realism
Social Realism
Realism and Expressionism
Antirealism
Epic Theater
Absurdist Drama
The Early- and Mid-Twentieth-Century Stage
The Early- and Mid-Twentieth-Century Actor
Early – and Mid-Twentieth-Century Drama Timeline
John Millington Synge, Riders to the Sea
Riders to the Sea in Performance
COMMENTARY:
John Millington Synge, From The Aran Islands
Susan Glaspell, Trifles
Trifles in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Christine Dymkowski, On the Edge: The Plays of Susan Glaspell
Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an Author
Six Characters in Search of an Author in Performance
*Federico Garcia Lorca, Blood Wedding
Blood Wedding in Performance
Eugene O'Neill, Desire under the Elms
Desire under the Elms in Performance
*Bertolt Brecht, The Good Woman of Setzuan
The Good Woman of Setzuan in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Bertolt Brecht, The Alienation Effect
Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Brenda Murphy, Tennessee Williams and Elia Kazan Collaborate on Cat
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Arthur Miller, Tragedy and the Common Man
A Production Casebook: Death of a Salesman
Jo Mielziner, Designing a Play: Death of a Salesman
Elia Kazan, Directing Death of a Salesman
Arthur Miller, From “The American Theater”
June Schlueter and James K. Flanagan, Memorable Willy
*Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Martin Esslin, The Theatre of the Absurd
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun in Performance
COMMENTARY:
*Lindsay Champion, The Evolution of A Raisin in the Sun
Wole Soyinka, The Strong Breed
The Strong Breed in Performance
CONTEMPORARY DRAMA
Experimentation
Theater of Cruelty
Environmental Theater
“Poor Theater”
Theater of Images
Gay and Lesbian Theater and Other New Ensembles
Contemporary Women Playwrights
Experimentation with the Tradition
Drama in the United States
Drama in Europe: England, Ireland, and France
Drama in Asia and Africa
The Contemporary Theater
The Contemporary Actor
Contemporary Drama Timeline
Harold Pinter, The Homecoming
The Homecoming in Performance
Maria Irene Fornes, Fefu and Her Friends
Fefu and Her Friends in Performance
*Sam Shepard, True West
True West in Performance
Caryl Churchill, Cloud Nine
Cloud Nine in Performance
*David Mamet, American Buffalo
American Buffalo in Performance
Athol Fugard, “MASTER HAROLD” . . . and the boys
“MASTER HAROLD” . . . and the boys in Performance
August Wilson, Fences
Fences in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Joan Herrington, The Development of Fences
*August Wilson, The Ground on Which I Stand
Tony Kushner, Angels in America: Millennium Approaches
Angels in America in Performance
Paula Vogel, How I Learned to Drive
How I Learned to Drive in Performance
Suzan-Lori Parks, Topdog/Underdog
Topdog/Underdog in Performance
Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice
Eurydice in Performance
Lynn Nottage, Ruined
Ruined in Performance
COMMENTARY:
Randy Gener, In Defense of Ruined: Five Elements that Shape
Lynn Nottage’s Masterwork
*Quiara Alegría Hudes, Water by the Spoonful
Water by the Spoonful in Performance
*Ayad Akhtar, Disgraced
Disgraced in Performance
*Christopher Durang, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike in Performance
*John Patrick Shanley, Outside Mullingar
Outside Mullingar in Performance
*Stephen Karam, The Humans
The Humans in Performance
Writing About Drama
Writing Criticism about Drama
Approaches to Criticism
Reader Response Criticism
Close Reading
From Prewriting to Final Draft: A Sample Student Essay on The Rising of the Moon
Writing a Review
What is the Purpose of a Review?
What You Need to Write a Good Review
Preparing to Review a Classic Play
Preparing to Review a New Play
Guidelines for Writing Reviews
*Using Video Resources When Thinking and Writing about Drama
Glossary of Dramatic Terms
Authors

Lee A. Jacobus
Lee A. Jacobus is professor emeritus of English at the University of Connecticut and the author/editor of popular English and drama textbooks, among them The Bedford Introduction to Drama and A World of Ideas. He has written scholarly books on Paradise Lost, on the works of John Cleveland, and on the works of Shakespeare, including Shakespeare and the Dialectic of Certainty. He is also a playwright and author of fiction. Two of his plays — Fair Warning and Long Division — were produced in New York by the American Theater of Actors, and Dance Therapy, three one-act plays, was produced in New York at Where Eagles Dare Theatre. His book Hawaiian Tales: The Girl With Heavenly Eyes (TellMe Press 2014) is a collection of short stories set in Hawaii.
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The Bedford Introduction to Drama
Eighth Edition| 2018
Lee A. Jacobus
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