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Eight Modern Plays (Norton Critical Editions)

This Norton Critical Edition presents some of the most important voices in modern drama and, through the inclusion of supporting materials, places each play in its proper intellectual, artistic, and historical context. Included here are the complete texts of eight major plays by eight major playwrights: Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters, George Bernard Shaw’s Candida, August Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata, Luigi Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author, Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night, Bertolt Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, and Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days. The most accurate and readable translations have been chosen for plays originally in foreign languages, including a new translation of Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author by Anthony Caputi, based on the definitive Italian text of 1925. Each play has been carefully annotated for the student reader―foreign words and phrases are translated, allusions beyond the range of general knowledge are explained, and historical material is included as needed. A comprehensive "Backgrounds and Criticism" section provides supporting materials by each playwright represented―letters, essays, authors’ notes―as well as a broad sampling of critical reviews and interpretations for each play. A Selected Bibliography is also included.

Series: Norton Critical Editions

Paperback: 640 pages

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 2nd Revised ed. edition (April 17, 1991)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0393960153

ISBN-13: 978-0393960150

Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.4 x 8.4 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #722,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #260 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Anthologies #455 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Genres & Styles > Drama #10388 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature

This collection defines modern drama. From Ibsen's realistic masterpiece The Wild Duck, to Pirandello's brilliant and revolutionary Six Characters in Search of an Author, to Eugene O'Neill's pitch-perfect character study Long Day's Journey Into Night, this collection is the epitome of modern dramatic literature in all its variations. Even the criticism for each play is brilliant. A definite recommendation for serious readers who haven't read any of these, but want to.

I ordered this as a supplement to a two-semester course I am teaching on modern European literature. My professional background is in French, so I have not yet read most of the plays, but from going through them, I feel that it will enhance my course. The annotations seem particularly useful.

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