Restoration comedy disappeared from the stage for nearly 200 years until it was revived early this century. Without the benefit of a performance tradition has suffered from an inappropriate literary and moralistic criticism which continues to this day. Yet this brilliant court and coterie comedy of sexual and social behaviour was an extraordinary success in its own time, and enjoys a unique place in theatrical history as an example of the interplay possible between the stage and the audience. In this book John Styan ... Read More
Restoration comedy disappeared from the stage for nearly 200 years until it was revived early this century. Without the benefit of a performance tradition has suffered from an inappropriate literary and moralistic criticism which continues to this day. Yet this brilliant court and coterie comedy of sexual and social behaviour was an extraordinary success in its own time, and enjoys a unique place in theatrical history as an example of the interplay possible between the stage and the audience. In this book John Styan persuades us that only through a performance approach to the great plays of Etherege, Wycherley, Dryden, Shadwell, Vanbrugh, Congreve and Farquhar can we recover a sense of their value. Restoration Comedy in Performance is liberally illustrated with contemporary drawings and modern photographs, and it draws extensively upon documentary and visual evidence of the seventeenth century in order to suggest the importance of the costume and customs, manners and behaviour of the age to an understanding of the sort of theatre and drama it produced. Professor Styan also discusses the problems encountered in the early attempts to revive the comedies in the twentieth century, and pauses frequently in order to offer a descriptive account of a moment of staging or to recreate a scene or a sequence of comic repartee or action. The book aims to bring back to life, therefore, something of a lost art form, not as a piece of conventional stage or production history, but as a true attempt to recognize the virtues of Restoration comedy as a performing art. Read Less
Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance to cart. $3.19, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
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Good. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.
Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance to cart. $16.06, poor condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
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This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has soft covers. Book contains pencil markings. In poor condition, suitable as a reading copy. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 650grams, ISBN: 9780521274210.
Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance to cart. $16.50, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
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Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance to cart. $19.00, very good condition, Sold by Common Crow Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pittsburgh, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
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Very Good. First edition, 1986. Softcover, 271 pp., illustrated, clean unmarked text, Very Good copy, paper clip ghost on the half-title page, ink notes to the titlepage and a few pages of the bibliography, light rubbing to the tips of the book's covers.
Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance to cart. $19.09, new condition, Sold by Solr Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincolnwood, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance (Volume 0) to cart. $30.39, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
Add this copy of Restoration Comedy in Performance to cart. $59.58, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1986 by Cambridge University Press.
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