Dramatic Theory and Criticism: Greeks to Grotowski

"The chief purpose of this book is to make available the major documents in dramatic theory Some are important historically, some intrinsically, others have both histone and intrinsic value Apart from presenting such writings by dramatic theorists and critics, Dramatic Theory and Criticism. Greeks to Grotowski also aims to offer works by philosophers, psychologists, and social theorists though not always addressed directly to the drama, these writings -by Ortega Gasset on modern art, for instance-are applicable or relevant to it, and by dramatic authors (this anthology begins with a selection by a playwright and ends with one by a director who is "author" of performance- texts)The selections include theories and analyses of the major, traditional dramatic genres, from ancient to modern times, and of modern genres, forms of drama, and conceptions of theatre. In fact, dramatic genres constitute a thread that may be traced throughout the anthology. Another thread consists in the contrast of the more traditional drama with the newer drama ("avant- garde." it might be called in a figurative sense, though the phrase would, strictly speaking, be anachronistic in reference to periods preceding the modern). Other threads are the social contexts and resonances of the drama, dramatic action and playwriting, dramatic illusion, and Shakespearean criticism. This book's subtitle, Greeks to Grotowski, suggests its scope and chief limitation. The scope is Ancient Greece to the present day; the limitation, the West. To include theorists of the Orient would have meant either to represent them inadequately or else, if justice were to be done, to double the size of this volume, which is large enough as is. Despite its size, however, there are, inevitably, omissions. These derive from restrictions of copyright, space, the viewpoint of 1971-1972, and (admittedly) editorial tastes. The last limitation has no doubt resulted in inclusions as well as omissions. On this point, my plea must be de gustibus non est disputandum: there is no disputing concerning tastes. Dramatic Theory and Criticism: Greeks to Grotowski is organized chronologically and by one or a group of countries. Initially, I had considered organization by subject matter, but fitting selections into subject-matter categories proved not only unwieldy, it also tended to become far more subjective than I felt was appropriate to a book like this. Apart from the validity of the chronological arrangement to a historical approach to dramatic theory and criticism, it is less subjective, and it offers fewer problems than other methods I considered. The introductions that precede all of the book's fourteen sections attempt to suggest the importance of various writers, connections among them, and some of the key issues they raise. Where helpful, the introductions try to provide a context, and cross-references direct the reader to writers in other sections. Briefly, though tautologically, each introduction attempts to intro- duce, rather than to offer long, overly tendentious explications of the selections that follow. To this end, I have tried to strike a Horatian balance between terseness and comprehensiblility. Honolulu, Hawaii November 1973B.F.D."-Publisher