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Title: A Reader's Guide to Modern Irish Drama (Reader's Guides) by Sanford V. Sternlicht ISBN: 0-8156-0525-0 Publisher: Syracuse University Press Pub. Date: 01 May, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Concise,thorough compendium & analysis of modern Irish drama
Comment: Sanford Sternlicht's _A Reader's Guide to Modern Irish Drama(ARGMID)_ is a gem of a book, designed not only to acquaint the general reader with the richness of Irish drama history and in particular the works of her modern playwrights, but also to serve as a textbook for a course in the subject and/or a reference work.

Sternlicht is adept at condensing the most pertinent information necessary for a study of this genre. For those who wish to delve further into the vast riches of Irish drama, particularly that of the twentieth century, he provides extensive citatations designed to guide to reader/student to even more information about particular playwrights and their works. Along the same lines, a lengthy selected critical biography is included.

ARGMID provides a thorough but concise overview of the history of Irish drama, going as far back as the days of the great monasteries of St.Columba's Iona and others; he reminds us that it was the Irish scribes who preserved the great works of classic Roman and Greek literature, and who, through the extension of the Irish monastic movement to Britain and the Continent, reintroduced classical culture to Western civilization. He then traces the roots of Irish drama from its earliest professional theater in 1637 to the present day. This historical overview in itself was quite fascinating, but the real treasures of the book lie ahead, with short biographies and analyses of the major plays of 35 Irish dramatists, beginning with Lady Gregory, Yeats, Synge, Shaw and other greats, right through O'Casey, Beckett, Behan, Friel, and concluding with entries on 19 very recent playwrights, including the likes of Sebastian Barry, Martin McDonagh, and Ireland's leading woman playwright Marina Carr. Although published just before the rise of dramatists like Colin McPherson (The Weir), future editions will surely include such artists. Hundreds of plays are discussed, with the most influential and groundbreaking analyzed in greater detail. The recurrent themes in Irish drama of racial strife, loss, emigration, violence, poverty, and the effects of constant war (including domestic violence) on the individual are brought to light insightfully and vividly by the author,one play at a time. The resilience of the Irish spirit through humor and through hope, including the recurring theme of the Irish woman's struggle against the destruction that surrounds her, is also illustrated.

All in all, this is quite an enjoyable read, extremely educational, and gratifying. It is also a tribute to the founders of the greatest national theater in the Western world, the Abbey, and to many other great Irish theaters and theater companies, past and present. Sternlicht, who teaches Modern Irish Drama at Syracuse University and the same at Trinity College, Dublin, for many summers, is uniquely qualified to author this useful book. His expertise in and affection for the subject matter shines through every page. It certainly fills a scholarly gap; one can hope that revised editions will continue to appear from Syracuse University Press and from the pen of Mr. Sternlicht.

Rating: 3
Summary: Useful for the total beginner only
Comment: Sternlicht's book was, at the time of publication, just about the most up-to-date survey of 20th century Irish drama available. However, he had the bad luck to be writing it at a time when Irish drama was experiencing an astonishing increase in the amount of good new writing for theatre. As a result, his book suffers from significant omissions, as writers who had only had one play performed at the time of publication have since gone on to make significant contributions. The most notable absence is Conor McPherson, but also glaringly absent are Mark O'Rowe, Alex Johnston and Alice Barry. The author's lack of acquaintance with the sources and influences of many of the younger writers is also apparent, as he has difficulty in accounting for the peculiar achievement of (for example) Martin McDonagh, in fusing TV culture with a much older style of writing. He is also remarkably insensitive to the genius of Stewart Parker, whose premature death may have cut short a great career, but who had certainly not failed to achieve greatness in the meantime. A book of use only to total novices in this field; others will be disappointed by the shortness of the entries and the lack of sophistication in the criticism.