Unrivalled in its coverage of recent work and writers, The Methuen Drama Guide to Contemporary American Playwrights surveys and analyses the breadth, vitality and development of theatrical work to emerge from America over the last fifty years.This authoritative guide leads you through the work of 25 major contemporary American playwrights, discussing more than 140 plays in detail. Written by a team of 25 eminent international scholars, each chapter provides:· a biogr...

This book is a study of the short story, one of the widest taught genres in English literature, from an innovative methodological perspective. Both liminality and the short story are well-researched phenomena, but the combination of both is not frequent. This book discusses the relevance of the concept of liminality for the short story genre and for short story cycles, emphasizing theoretical perspectives, methodological relevance and applicability.Liminality as a concept of demarc...

In "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town," Stephen Leacock masterfully captures the essence of small-town life in early 20th century Canada through a series of humorous and poignant vignettes. The book is characterized by its whimsical tone and satirical style, blending elements of realism with affectionate caricature. Set in the fictional town of Mariposa, Leacock intertwines the everyday experiences of its quirky inhabitants, illuminating their foibles and idiosyncrasies against the backdr...

'An exultant night - a man in total command of his talent.' Observer'The most intense expression of compressed violence to be found anywhere in Pinter's plays.' The TimesWhen Teddy, a professor in an American university, brings his wife Ruth to visit his old home in London, he finds his family still living in the house. In the conflict that follows, it is Ruth who becomes the focus of the family's struggle for supremacy.

Wycherley's four comedies are admired for their satirical wit, farcical humour, vivid characterization, and social criticism.Love in a Wood, a lively comedy of intrigue, established him as a brilliant new dramatist.The Gentleman Dancing-Master, in contrast, disappointed contemporary audiences, but the central relationship between Hippolyta and Gerrard features an original and sympathetic study of a young woman's attitudes and feelings. The Country Wife is a sharp but also highly amusing at...

Sarah has spent her whole life fighting against her father’s wishes. She doesn’t care about his old beliefs and traditions; she just wants to go to college. Sarah’s determined to do something with her life that doesn’t involve baking pies and being a good wife, and she’s convinced that with enough hard work, she’ll manage it all. That is, until she gets put on a class assignment with Robert Hasting who seems intent on causing trouble in her life in more ways than one. Robert is sick of his...

In this version of the story of Joan of Arc, Brecht transforms her into 'Joan Dark', a member of the 'Black Straw Hats' (a Salvation Army-like group) in twentieth century Chicago. The play charts Joan's battle with Pierpont Mauler, the unctuous owner of a meat-packing plant. Like her predecessor, Joan is a doomed woman, a martyr and (initially, at least) an innocent in a world of strike-breakers, fat cats, and penniless workers. Like many of Brecht's plays it is laced with humor and songs ...

Its government has declared a vicious class war. A one-sided war . . . We have started to fight back . . . with bombs.Against a backdrop of Tory cuts, high unemployment and the deregulated economy of 1970s Britain, a young urban guerrilla group mobilises: The Angry Brigade. Their targets: MPs, embassies, police, pageant queens. A world of order is shattered by anarchy and the rules have changed. An uprising has begun. No one is exempt.As a special police squad hunt...

In this clear and detailed reading guide, we’ve done all the hard work for you!Waiting for Godot is one of Samuel Beckett’s most famous plays. It shows how Vladimir and Estragon wait for a mysterious character called Godot. Nothing happens aside from the dialogue between the two protagonists, yet the implications of this very successful play are numerous.Find out everything you need to know about Waiting for Godot in just a few minutes!

This carefully crafted ebook: “The Death of Olivier Becaille (Unabridged)” is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.Zola’s horrific short story depicts a man, Olivier Becaille, in a temporary coma and paralytic state. This condition leads his wife to believe he is dead. It even fools the doctor. Funeral and burial arrangements are made and carried out. Readers’ will experience their worst fear through the eyes of Olivier Becaille.Émile ...

This illustrated anthology of George Eliot novels includes Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, Silas Marner, The Lifted Veil, The Mill on the Floss and Adam Bede.

His uniform is picturesque; a hat with triple plumeDoublet, cape, and sword - worn like a peacock's tail.From the eyebrows up, he's all feathersFrom the neck down, it's buckle and swash -But squeezed between is a nose – a nose...A modest poet such as I must fail entirelyTo describe this gross, immodest, monstrous nose.Cyrano de Bergerac, a brilliant poet and swordsman, is deeply in love with his brilliant and beautiful cousin Roxan...