An appraisal of the career and major works of the modern Irish dramatist emphasizes the influence of his North Kerry upbringing on the rural-life the and language of his plays.

Exploration of the life and work of Irish playwright, George Fitzmaurice

The adventures of a group who survived a poisonous cloud that turned everyone else into stone.

"This superb collection of eighteen plays has long been needed. It provides a sound and solid introduction to the rich field of modern Irish drama, and should be as delightful to the private reader as it will be useful for university classes."--Journal of Irish Literature Contents: Spreading the News and The Gaol Gate-- Lady Gregory; On Baile's Strand and the Only Jealousy of Emer--W.B. Yeats; The Land--Padraic Colum; The Playboy of the Western World--J.M. Synge; Maurice Harr--T. C. Murray; The Magic Glasses--George Fitzmaurice; Juno and the Paycock- -Sean O'Casey; The Big House--Lennox Robinson; The Old Lady Says "No "--Denis Johnston; As the Crow Flies--Austin Clarke; The Paddy Pedlar--M. J. Malloy; The Vision of Mac Conglinne--Padraic Fallon; The Quare Fellow--Brendan Behan; All that Fall--Samuel Becket; Da--Hugh Leonard; Translations--Brian Friel

Analysing major Irish dramas and the artists and companies that performed them, Modern Irish Theatre provides an engaging and accessible introduction to twentieth-century Irish theatre: its origins, dominant themes, relationship to politics and culture, and influence on theatre movements around the world. By looking at her subject as a performance rather than a literary phenomenon, Trotter captures how Irish theatre has actively reflected and shaped debates about Irish culture and identity among audiences, artists, and critics for over a century. This text provides the reader with discussion and analysis of: Significant playwrights and companies, from Lady Gregory to Brendan Behan to Marina Carr, and from the Abbey Theatre to the Lyric Theatre to Field Day; Major historical events, including the war for Independence, the Troubles, and the social effects of the Celtic Tiger economy; Critical Methodologies: how postcolonial, diaspora, performance, gender, and cultural theories, among others, shed light on Irish theatre’s political and artistic significance, and how it has addressed specific national concerns. Because of its comprehensiveness and originality, Modern Irish Theatre will be of great interest to students and general readers interested in theatre studies, cultural studies, Irish studies, and political performance.

George Fitzmaurice is best known for his comedy, The Country Dressmaker, produced at the Abbey Theatre in 1907, although he wrote plays for the next fifty years. It is the aim of this critical study of Fitzmaurice not only to make his work better know, but to assess the value of his literary achievement.

"Arranged chronologically by decade, from the 1890s to the 1990s, each decade is divided into two different types of writing: critical/documentary and imaginative writing, and is accompanied by a headnote which situates it thematically and chronologically. The Reader is also structured for thematic study by listing all the pieces included under a series of topic headings. The wide range of material encompasses writings of well-known figures in the Irish canon and neglected writers alike. This will appeal to the general reader, but also makes Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century ideal as a core text, providing a unique focus for detailed study in a single volume."--BOOK JACKET.