Maria Irene Fornes and Her Critics

by Assunta Kent

Overview

This first book dedicated to US-Cuban playwright/director Maria Irene Fornes is a lucid theoretical, historical, and production-oriented study of Fornes' published works and their critical legacy. Kent argues that most critics, including a range of theatre feminists, have yet to fully explicate the incisive social critique presented in Fornes' work. Examining the complex relationships between Fornes' aesthetic innovations and her unconventional social politics, Kent presents a comprehensive, contextualized study of Fornes work and the critics' response.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313297359
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/21/1996
Series:	Contributions in Drama and Theatre Studies , #70
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

ASSUNTA BARTOLOMUCCI KENT is Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Southern Maine and book review editor for the New England Theatre Jourbanal. In addition to publishing articles in jourbanals such as Theatre Topics, Theatre Studies, and the Jourbanal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism she contributed a critical analysis of Fornes' play Springtime for the volume Amazon All-Stars: Thirteen Lesbian Plays. Kent's production work includes direction, dramaturgy, script adaptation, oral interpretation, creative drama, and advocacy theatre.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Critical, Theoretical, Historical Context
Critical Legacy
A Pragmatic Feminist Perspective
Contextualizing Fornes
Maria Irene Fornes: Career and Works
Early Plays
Fefu and her Critics
The 'Mud' Plays
And What of the Night?
Appendix: Maria Irene Fornes Timeline
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

A study of the works of Cuban-born contemporary playwright Fornes, emphasizing the continuities in her themes. Part I provides a historical and critical survey of encounters between Fornes and critics, and introduces the theoretical underpinnings of the author's feminist approach to Fornes' work. Part II surveys her life and works, and examines critical and audience responses to her major plays. Of interest to professionals in theater, as well as historians, feminist scholars, and social change theorists. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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