The Vital Lie

Reality and Illusion in Modern Drama

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, American
Cover of the book The Vital Lie by Anthony S. Abbott, University of Alabama Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anthony S. Abbott ISBN: 9780817382537
Publisher: University of Alabama Press Publication: June 15, 2009
Imprint: University Alabama Press Language: English
Author: Anthony S. Abbott
ISBN: 9780817382537
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
Publication: June 15, 2009
Imprint: University Alabama Press
Language: English

 The Vital Lie is the first book to examine the reality-illusion conflict in modern drama from Ibsen to present-day playwrights. The book questions why vital lies, lies necessary for life itself, are such an obsessive concern for playwrights of the last hundred years. Using the work of fifteen playwrights, Abbott seeks to discover if modern playwrights treat illusions as helpful or necessary to life, or as signals of sicknesses from which human beings need to be cured. What happens to characters when they are forced to face the truth about themselves and their worlds without the protection of their illusions? The author develops a three-part historical analysis of the use of the reality-illusion theme, from its origins as a metaphysical search to its current elaborations as a theatrical game.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

 The Vital Lie is the first book to examine the reality-illusion conflict in modern drama from Ibsen to present-day playwrights. The book questions why vital lies, lies necessary for life itself, are such an obsessive concern for playwrights of the last hundred years. Using the work of fifteen playwrights, Abbott seeks to discover if modern playwrights treat illusions as helpful or necessary to life, or as signals of sicknesses from which human beings need to be cured. What happens to characters when they are forced to face the truth about themselves and their worlds without the protection of their illusions? The author develops a three-part historical analysis of the use of the reality-illusion theme, from its origins as a metaphysical search to its current elaborations as a theatrical game.

More books from University of Alabama Press

Cover of the book Sarah Orne Jewett by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Another Governess / The Least Blacksmith by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Sloss Furnaces and the Rise of the Birmingham District by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Black, White, and Huckleberry Finn by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Grounded Vision by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Once They Had a Country by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book A Great Fear by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Iberville's Gulf Journals by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Public Management Reform and Innovation by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Citizen Science in the Digital Age by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Fitzgerald-Wilson-Hemingway by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Ad Hominem Arguments by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Sketches of Alabama by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Among the Swamp People by Anthony S. Abbott
Cover of the book Mound Excavations at Moundville by Anthony S. Abbott
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy