Christopher Innes Books

In this impressively wide-ranging study of all drama written in German in the period 1945–1977, Christopher Innes' aims are to identify the concerns and perceptions of dramatists working in a specific and unique social context and period and to analyse the major theatrical forms they developed or adapted to express their experience, to trace the writers' literary antecedents, their 'tradition' and to explore the critical issues raised by each stylistic innovation. Professor Innes has organized his discussion around the main forms of theatre - epic, documentary, absurdist and more traditional forms. Redefining these conceptual labels as he progresses, he analyses, in a critical and informed way, the work on the page and the stage of all the major playwrights. This study, which is complemented by photographs of key productions and accompanied by translations for all quotations, will be of particular interest to teachers and students of drama and German, as well as to a wider theatre-going public.

This is the first one-volume analysis of British drama, from 1890–1990, covering the most dynamic and exciting period in its history since Shakespeare. Starting with George Bernard Shaw, Christopher Innes traces the evolution of modernism from the close of the nineteenth century right up to the present. The unparalleled breadth of this critical study shows patterns of development in naturalistic social drama, comedy, poetic drama, and feminist theatre. This provides a coherent theoretical frame for understanding individual writers and their work. The book gives detailed discussions of all the major dramatists; analysis of over 200 plays; information on the social and political context; facts about first productions and critical reception; a comprehensive chronology, and illustrations from seminal productions. The wide focus, unique coverage, and wealth of detail make this book an invaluable guide for students, theatre-goers, and theatre historians alike.