The Cambridge introduction to Tom Stoppard
By: William Demastes
Series: Cambridge introductions to literature
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Cambridge, [England]; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 177
ISBN-13: 9781107021952
Subjects: Criticism and interpretation; DRAMA / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh
Description: "Tom Stoppard is widely considered to be one of the most important dramatists of contemporary theatre. In this Introduction, William Demastes provides an accessible overview of Stoppard's life and work, exploring all the complexity and variety that makes his drama so unique. Illustrated with images from a diverse range of Stoppard productions, the book provides clear evaluations of his major works, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Travesties, Arcadia and The Coast of Utopia, to provide the most up-to-date assessment available. Detailed chapters situate each play in the context of its sources, which include Shakespeare and contemporary existential thought, espionage, quantum physics, chaos theory, romanticism, landscape design, nineteenth-century European intellectual thought and European totalitarianism. The book also includes a section on Stoppard's Academy Award-winning film Shakespeare in Love"--

"Tom Stoppard is widely considered to be one of the most important dramatists of contemporary theatre. In this Introduction, William Demastes provides an accessible overview of Stoppard's life and work, exploring all the complexity and variety that makes his drama so unique. Illustrated with images from a diverse range of Stoppard productions, the book provides clear evaluations of his major works, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Travesties, Arcadia and Coast of Utopia, to provide the most up-to-date assessment available. "--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: Introduction: Stoppardianism; Professional chronology; 1. Stoppard: briefly, a life in the theatre; 2. Keys to Stoppard's theatre; 3. The breakthrough years; 4. Playing with the stage; 5. Science takes the stage; 6. Love is in the air; 7. Politics humanized; Conclusion: the play's the thing; Appendix: Stoppard's theatre: a summary; Guide to further reading.