The Bedford Introduction to Drama [Paperback]

Lee Jacobus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0312414412 | ISBN-13: 978-0312414412 | Edition: 5th

With an abundance of plays, commentaries, and useful editorial features, the best-selling Bedford Introduction to Drama is the most comprehensive introductory drama resource available, giving students a diverse overview of dramatic literature and instructors a text with enough breadth and flexibility to complement a variety of approaches.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

LEE A. JACOBUS is professor emeritus of English at the University of Connecticut and the author/editor of popular English textbooks, among them A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2006); and The Longman Anthology of American Drama. Professor Jacobus has written scholarly books on Paradise Lost, on the works of John Cleveland, and on the works of Shakespeare, including Shakespeare and the Dialectic of Certainty. He is also a playwright; two of his plays — Fair Warning and Long Division — were produced in New York by the American Theater of Actors; Dance Therapy , three one-act plays, was produced in New York at Where Eagles Dare Theatre.  He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.  Volcanic Jesus, his book of short stories, is set in Hawaii.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1872 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 5th edition (August 12, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312414412
• ISBN-13: 978-0312414412
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #992,511 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Undergraduate degree: Brown University, class of 1957; Doctorate from Claremont Graduate University, 1968. I taught English literature at Western Connecticut State University, and for 32 years at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. I was visiting professor at Columbia University and Brown University. My specialties are Milton, Shakespeare, James Joyce, and Modern Irish Literature.
Some of my books: Crown Island, a Quarrytown novel; Volcanic Jesus, a collection of short stories; A World of Ideas; The Bedford Introduction to Drama (and Brief Edition); The Humanities Through the Arts; Substance, Style, and Strategy; Writing As Thinking; The Longman Anthology of American Drama; Humanities: The Evolution of Values; Aesthetics and the Arts.

I am married to Joanna J. Jacobus, dance teacher (UConn), choreographer, and licensed massage therapist. We have two children, Sharon and James.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite good enough, November 10, 2003

By 

Frank R. Southerington (Staunton, Va.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bedford Introduction to Drama (4th edition) (Paperback)

The Bedford Introduction To Drama, in its Fourth edition, has a number of virtues. Much of the selection is good, the illustrations are good and often helpful, and the introductions to each period and to individual plays are often very good. Of course, some of them are predictable: it would be nice to see some exciting Strindberg for a change; Miss Julie is really getting weary. However, it is when when we reach the second half of the Twentieth century that the quality breaks down. We find the same tired list of plays chosen for their political correctness: something on race, something for feminists, etc, etc, with very litte convincing attention paid to what has actually happened in the theatre, viewed either from the point of view of box officee appeal (which was a good enough criterion for Shakespeare), or what is likely to be historically influential. A major exception is Mamet's OLEANNA, guaranteed to stir disagreement and excitement in the classroom as it does in the theatre. Each reader will find other exceptions, but the predictability and tedium of the modern selection is disappointing. This text is widely used in classrooms, incuding my own, because there is no satisfactory alternative, but as a text for modern theatre it's a failure, and it's VERY expensive for a student's budget.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I used this book for 3 classes..., January 16, 2009

By 

Cast "Can I have the book when you are done r... (Peoria, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bedford Introduction to Drama (Paperback)

I don't know how much this book goes for anymore but while in college I've shelled out up to $150 for a book i used once. I used this book for several different theatre classes. 3 of the classes I used this book for most of the plays we had to study. for a couple others i was able to use it to fill in the blanks for other books.

Only drawback is this thing is the size of a phone book.

If you have to pick this book up for a class do not sell afterwards, chances are you will be able to use in another.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Collection Of 48 Important Plays, January 9, 2005

By 

G. Reid (Roseland, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bedford Introduction to Drama (Third Edition) (Paperback)

This book remains first and foremost the most comprehensive anthology available: a collection of 48 important plays that have shaped dramatic literature from the time of the early Greek dramatists to the present.

The book covers the great ages of drama, the genres of drama and elements of drama. The great ages of drama include: Greek drama, Roman drama, Medieval drama, Renaissance drama, late seventeenth & eighteenth century drama, nineteenth century drama through the turn of the century, drama in the early and mid-twentieth century and contemporary drama.