Taking as its point of departure the complex question about whether Surrealist theatre exists, this book re-examines the much misunderstood artistic medium of theatre within Surrealism, especially when compared to poetry and painting. This study reconsiders Surrealist theatre specifically from the perspective of ludics-a poetics of play and games-an ideal approach to the Surrealists, whose games blur the boundaries between the 'playful' and the 'serious.' Vassiliki Rapti's aims are threefold: first, to demystify Andre Breton's controversial attitude toward theatre; second, to do justice to Surrealist theatre, by highlighting the unique character that derives from its inherent element of play; and finally, to trace the impact of Surrealist theatre in areas far beyond its generally ackwledged influence on the Theatre of the Absurd-an impact being felt even on the contemporary world stage. Beginning with the Surrealists' 'one-into-ather' game and its illustration of Breton's ludic dramatic theory, Rapti then examines the traces of this kind of game in the works of a wide variety of Surrealist and Post-Surrealist playwrights and stage directors, from several different countries, and from the 1920s to the present: Roger Vitrac, Antonin Artaud, GA nter Berghaus, Nas Valaoritis, Robert Wilson, and Megan Terry.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Ashgate Publishing Limited, Taylor & Francis Ltd
ISBN-10
1409429067
ISBN-13
9781409429067
eBay Product ID (ePID)
141544345
Product Key Features
Author
Vassiliki Rapti
Format
Hardback
Language
English
Subject
Literary Criticism
Type
Textbook
Dimensions
Weight
698g
Height
244mm
Width
172mm
Additional Product Features
Series Edited by
Dr. Gavin Parkinson
Series Title
Studies in Surrealism
Content Note
Includes 10 B&W Illustrations
Author Biography
Vassiliki Rapti is Preceptor in Modern Greek in the Department of The Classics at Harvard University, USA, where she is also serving as Research Fellow in Greek Literature and Language Pedagogy at the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies (Washington, DC).