The Dramatic Story of the Theatre [antikvár]

PREFACE History has been called a fable agreed upon, and it must be admitted that certain kinds of history deserve this unflattering designation. But it is no fable that the theatre, which concerns itself primarily with fables, whether agreed upon or not, has had a long and fascinating existence. Unlike somé other humán institutions, it is deeply rooted in humán nature-it must be, to have survived for so many millennia-and there are good reasons why everyone should know something about how it began and how it developed. The very length of the theatre's history, and its complicated ramifications of plot and subplot, make it impossible for anyone to do it full justice in a brief space. But our purpose has been less to do justice to history than to give a picture of the excitement and adventure of the theatre down through the ages, and by presenting in vivid fashion the different types and styles of drama in relation to their varied backgrounds, to show the influences that have helped make the theatre of today. The earlier part of the story can be made to seem simple by centering attention on those features to which our own theatre is most closely related and neglecting the rest. As we approach the nineteenth century, however, it becomes only too easy to transform what might be an exciting adventure into a bewildering list of authors, plays, and dates. In the interests of reasonable clarity, we have therefore selected what seem to us the main lines of development, with emphasis on what is most important to the American