Theory/Theatre: An Introduction - 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Mark Fortier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2002 | ISBN-10: 041525437X | ISBN-13: 978-0415254373 | Edition: 2nd

This is a new and enlarged edition of Mark Fortier's very successful and widely used essential text for students. Theory/Theatre provides a unique and engaging introduction to literary theory as it relates to theatre and performance. Fortier lucidly examines current theoretical approaches, from semiotics, poststructuralism, through cultural materialism, postcolonial studies and feminist theory.
This new edition includes:
* More detailed explanation of key ideas
* New 'Putting it into practice' sections at the end of each chapter so you can approach performances from specific theoretical perspectives
* Annotated further reading section and glossary.
Theory/Theatre is still the only study of its kind and is invaluable reading for beginning students and scholars of performance studies.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...this book offers useful perspectives." -- Letters in Canada --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Mark Fortier is Professor of English at the University of Winnipeg. He has published on Shakespeare, contemporary theatre, cultural studies and theory.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2nd edition (June 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041525437X
• ISBN-13: 978-0415254373
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, invaluable guide to theater and theory, July 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Theory/Theatre: an introduction (Paperback)

*Theory/Theatre* is a remarkable pocket-sized guide to the major contemporary trends in critical theory and their relationships to performance and performance studies. Fortier's prose is lucid and eloquent. He handles difficult concepts with succinct yet not simplistic essays that tie the theoretical concepts to instances of performance. I have used the book with undergraduates, and it has helped them make sense of the intellectual histories, differences and applications of, for instance, psychoanalytic criticism, post-structuralism, feminism, reception theory, etc. Fortier's concluding essay on the uses of theory is both skeptical and inspired by theory, and gorgeously written. Such a pleasure to work with an interpetive text that is truly knowing of its subjects without seeking to outdistance or subdue them!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent summary of major theories, November 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Theory/Theatre: an introduction (Paperback)

Fortier's book is a wonderful summary of the major theories concerning theater and performance. He presents a familiarity with everyone from Freud and Hegel to current leading theorists. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in critical theory of theater, especially for students. Fortier's style is engaging and easy to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fortier is the premiere., December 14, 2011

By 

Sosha Way (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Theory/Theatre: An Introduction - 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Fortier has so much to offer in the realm of performance that many "practitioners" simply shrug off at this point in history. His writing maintains a level of credence and clarity while never playing down to his audience. He expects readers to come with a certain level of knowledge while never seeping into an air of pretension or aca-babble.