MTU Library Catalogue

Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

An introduction to feminism and theatre / Elaine Aston.

By: Aston, Elaine.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: London : Routledge, 1995Description: ix, 166p ; 22cm + cased.ISBN: 0415087686 (m); 9780415087681; 0415087694 (v) (pbk) :; 9780415087698.Subject(s): Feminism and theater | Feminist theater | Women in the theater | Theatre studies | Feminism & feminist theory | Performing ArtsDDC classification: 792.0282 AST Summary: An introduction to the relationship between feminism and theatre, discussing theoretical topics and providing case studies on: feminism and theatre history; French feminist theory and theatre; black women; performing gender; and colonial landscapes.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Barcode
General lending MTU Kerry North Campus Library First Floor Main 792.0282 AST (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 38888000008577
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

At last an accessible and intelligent introduction to the energising and challenging relationship between feminism and theatre.
In this clear and enlightening book, Aston discusses wide-ranging theoretical topics and provides case studies including:
* Feminism and theatre history
* `M/Othering the self': French feminist theory and theatre
* Black women: shaping feminist theatre
* Performing gender: a materialist practice
* Colonial landscapes
Feminist thought is changing the way theatre is taught and practised. An Introduction to Feminism and Theatreis compulsory reading for anyone who requires a precise, insightful and up-to-date guide to this dynamic field of study.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

An introduction to the relationship between feminism and theatre, discussing theoretical topics and providing case studies on: feminism and theatre history; French feminist theory and theatre; black women; performing gender; and colonial landscapes.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • 1 Background: Feminism and Theatre Studies
  • Part I Feminist Approaches to Theatre
  • 2 Finding a Tradition: Feminism and Theatre History
  • 3 Feminist Theories of Representation: The Case Against Realism
  • 4 M/Othering the Self: French Feminist Theory and Theatre
  • 5 Staging Feminism(s)
  • 6 'Black Women': Shaping Feminist Theatre
  • 7 Performing Gender: A Materialist Practice
  • Part II Case Studies
  • 8 The 'Prisonhouse of Criticism': Susan Glaspell
  • 9 'Bodily Harm'
  • 10 Colonial Landscapes
  • 11 Performing Romantic Criticism: Case Study and Conclusion

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Since the publication of Sue-Ellen Case's Feminism and Theatre (CH, Dec'88), there has been much important new work in feminist critical theory and theatrical practice. Aston's study, intended as a guide to theater students and practitioners, provides a new general overview, not without some omissions and flaws. Aston does an admirable job of relating critical theory to theatrical practice in chapters entitled "Staging Feminism(s)," "Black Women," and "Performing Gender: A Materialist Practice," and in the case studies in part 2. The 12-page bibliography is impressive, although Aston omits the pioneering Women in American Theatre, edited by Helen Krich Chinoy and Linda Walsh Jenkins (rev. ed., CH, Apr'88)--one of several instances of the author's Anglo-centrism. Aston's bias against realism and bourgeois feminism seems misplaced in an introductory study and often results in straw women to knock down. Her insistence that the medieval playwright Hrotsvit has been excluded from "the canon" betrays the narrowness of her focus; Hrotsvit's work appears in Medieval and Tudor Drama, edited by John Gassner (1963, 1987), a major anthology continuously used--in the US--since its original publication. A major disappointment is Aston's attenuated discussion of feminist critical theory, which consists chiefly of paraphrase and quotations. Designed primarily for British academic programs, the book cannot be recommended strongly for US libraries. However, it may serve as a useful adjunct to upper-division undergraduate collections in feminist theater. J. W. Lafler; Institute for Historical Study