A Dictionary of Stage Directions in English Drama 1580-1642

by Alan C. Dessen, Leslie Thomson

Overview

This dictionary, the first of its kind, defines and explains over 900 terms found in the stage directions of plays for the professional stage written by Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The authors draw on a database of over 22,000 stage directions drawn from around 500 plays. Each entry defines a term, gives examples of how it is used, cites additional instances, and gives cross-references to other relevant entries. This will be an indispensable work of reference for scholars, historians, directors and actors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521552509
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/04/1999
Pages:	306
Product dimensions:	6.69(w) x 9.61(h) x 0.75(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; Introduction; User's guide; Dictionary of stage directions; Terms by category; Plays and editions cited; Selected bibliography.

Editorial Reviews

"It will surely prove an indispensable reference work for generalists and Renaissance theater specialists alike...essential." Shakespeare Quarterly

"...[a] fascinating and enormously useful volume...any serious student of Elizabethan-Jacobean-Caroline drama needs to hand a copy of this book..." Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England

"Students and scholars are heavily indebted to Alan Dessen for his work on Elizabethan staging...Now, teaming up with Leslie Thomason, he has provided us with an extensive and important dictionary of stage directions for Elizabethan and Jacobean drama from 1580 up tothe closing of the theatres in 1642. The book will be an invaluable aid to everyone working in the field." Shakespeare Bulletin

"...this specialized dictionary will be of value to its intended audience of scholars, directors, actors, and historians. It will also assist serious students of literature struggling to understand the works of English Renaissance drama." Barbara E. Kemp, Choice

"Coupled with a select bibliography of studies on early English staging, the detailed entries provide excellent starting points for the investigation of the use of such devices as balconies, ghosts and disguises in early English plays. A unique resource for any collection suporting interest in English Renaissance drama." J.K. Bracken, CHOICE

"[The authors] explain the sometimes several meanings of a

From the Publisher

Athough this is primarily a work of reference, to be consuted for specific items, the book can be read from cover to cover almost as if it were pure entertainment. It's self-denying economy of presentation is a great virtue; it gives the whole work a cutting edge that stimulates and invigoreates. As one goes through it, one gets a remarkably intimate feeling for the moment-by-moment actualities of stage performance. I can't imagine anyone using this Dictionary whose reading of modern drama won't be sharpened and improved.
—Times Literary Supplement

Emrys Jones