The Politics of Irish Drama analyzes some twenty-five of the best-known Irish plays from those of Dion Boucicault to Sebastian Barry, including works by Shaw, Yeats, Lady Gregory and Beckett. The book looks at political contexts for these plays and, in arguing for the outward-directed nature of dramatic representation of Ireland, shows Irish drama to be an international as much as national phenomenon.
Author(s): Nicholas Grene
Series: Cambridge Studies in Modern Theatre
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2000
Language: English
Pages: 332
Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 6
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Chronology......Page 13
Abbreviations......Page 18
Introduction......Page 21
1 Stage interpreters......Page 25
The Shaughraun......Page 27
John Bull's Other Island......Page 38
Translations......Page 54
The politics of staging Ireland......Page 68
2 Strangers in the house......Page 71
The Land of Heart's Desire......Page 73
The Travelling Man......Page 78
Kathleen ni Houlihan......Page 83
The Shadow of the Glen......Page 92
3 Shifts in perspective......Page 97
Shifts......Page 100
Crimes......Page 106
Setting......Page 117
Carnival and the sacred......Page 123
4 Class and space in O'Casey......Page 130
Class constructions......Page 133
A room of one's own: The Shadow of a Gunman......Page 139
Women and family values: Juno and the Paycock......Page 145
City and nation......Page 152
5 Reactions to revolution......Page 156
Politics: The Plough and the Stars......Page 159
Style: The Old Lady Says 'No!'......Page 170
Audience: The Hostage......Page 177
Unfinished business......Page 186
6 Living on......Page 190
Purgatory: the tragedy of survival......Page 193
All that Fall: a lingering dissolution......Page 199
Affinities......Page 204
7 Versions of pastoral......Page 214
Staying or going: A Crucial Week; Philadelphia......Page 219
A summer birdcage: On the Outside/On the Inside, Lovers......Page 226
Pastoral and anti-pastoral......Page 231
8 Murphy's Ireland......Page 239
Retelling the story......Page 241
Returning to the cottage kitchen......Page 247
Refashioning the past......Page 255
9 Imagining the other......Page 262
Observe the Sons of Ulster......Page 266
The Steward of Christendom......Page 271
The politics of the other......Page 276
Conclusion: a world elsewhere......Page 281
1 STAGE INTERPRETERS......Page 289
2 STRANGERS IN THE HOUSE......Page 293
3 SHIFTS IN PERSPECTIVE......Page 296
4 CLASS AND SPACE IN O'CASEY......Page 298
5 REACTIONS TO REVOLUTION......Page 300
6 LIVING ON......Page 303
7 VERSIONS OF PASTORAL......Page 305
8 MURPHY'S IRELAND......Page 306
9 IMAGINING THE OTHER......Page 308
CONCLUSION: A WORLD ELSEWHERE......Page 309
Bibliography......Page 310
Index......Page 321
