American Dramatic Literature Ten Modern Plays in Historical Perspective

Preface ix
PART ONE
• THE BACKGROUNDS OF MODERN AMERICAN DRAMA
Early Thcatres and Petformers before the Revolution, 1750-1770 3
A Permanent Theatre and the First American Plays, the Revolution to 1799 9
American Writers and American Themes, 1800 to the Civil War 16
The Century of the Great Actor 26
The Birth Pangs of Rcalism, 1865-1900 36
The Period of Transition: The American Stage from 1900 to 1914 43
Those Who Tried 47
The Turning Point, 1914-1918 53
A Chronology of Significant Events in the American Theatre, 1598-1918 57
Suggested Topics for Further Investigation and Report 61
A Select List of American Drama from Colonial Times to 1918 63
A Selected Bibliography of the American Theatre before 1918 68
PART TWO
AN ANTHOLOGY OF DRAMATIC ART SINCE 1918
The Modern Realistic Drama 77
The Little Foxes, by Lillian Hellman 87
The Departure from Rcalism 133
Camino Real, by Tennessee Williams 139
The Mature War Play 193
Comnzand Decision, by William Wister Haines 201
The Creation of a Folk Uraim 251
Porgy, by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward 258
Four Types of Comedy 309
The Rare Qualities of High Comedy 310
Biography, by S. N. Behrman 315
Comedy with a Purpose 367
The Male Anrnzal, by James Thurber and Elliott Nugent 372


The Comedy of Sensibility 422
The Member of the Wedding, by Carson McCullers 426
The Realm of Fantasy 463
Harvey, by Mary Chasc 467
Tragedy: Most Ancient and Most Neglccted 511
Desire under the Elms, by Eugeue O'Neill 518
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller 536
A Sclected Bibliography for Further Study of American Dramatic Literaturc 622
Index 629