The Theatre of Harold Pinter (Critical Companions)

The plays of the late Nobel laureate Harold Pinter have formed part of the canon of world theatre since the 1960s. Frequently revived on the professional stage, and studied on almost every Theatre Studies course, his importance and influence is hard to overestimate. This Critical Companion offers an assessment of Pinter's entire body of work for the stage, appraising his skill as a dramatist and considering his impact and legacy. Through a clear focus on issues of theatricality and the effect of the plays in performance The Theatre of Harold Pinter considers Pinter's chief narrative concerns and offers a unifying theme through which over four decades of work may be understood. Plays are considered in themed chapters that follow the chronological sequence of work, illuminating the development of his aesthetic and concerns. The volume features too a series of essays from other leading scholars presenting different critical perspectives on the work, including Harry Burton on Pinter's early drama; Ann Hall on Revisiting Pinter's Women; Chris Megson on Pinter's Memory Plays of the 1970s, and Basil Chiasson on Neoliberalism and Democracy. FC Half title In the same series from Bloomsbury Methuen Drama Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Invasions and Oppressions Awkward Investments in Enclosed Spaces: The Room, The Birthday Party, The Dumb Waiter, The Hothouse The Stranger on the Threshold: A Slight Ache, The Caretaker 2 The Company of Men and the Place of Women The Male Church: The Dwarfs Untenable Archetypes: A Night Out, Night School, The Collection, Tea Party Negotiations and Contracts: The Lover, The Homecoming 3 Present Continuous, Past Perfect Contours and Shadows: Landscape, Silence, Old Times A Foreign Country: No Man’s Land 4 The Impossible Family Exiled: Monologue, Betrayal Other Places: Victoria Station, Family Voices, A Kind of Alaska, Moonlight Family Under Threat: One for the Road, Mountain Language, Party Time, Celebration 5 Politics and the Artist as Citizen Anger and All That: The Birthday Party, The Dumb Waiter, The Hothouse Art, Truth and Politics: The Nobel Lecture, Precisely, The New World Order, Press Conference, Celebration The Fist and the Kiss: Ashes to Ashes 6 Some Concluding Remarks 7 Critical and Performance Perspectives The Curse of Pinter Harry Burton ‘Who the Hell’s That?’: Pinter’s Memory Plays of the 1970s Chris Megson Revisiting Pinter’s Women : One for the Road (1984), Mountain Language (1988) and Part y Time (1991) Ann C. Hall Pinter’s Political Dramas: Staging Neoliberal Discourse and Authoritarianism Basil Chiasson Chronology Notes Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index The plays of the late Nobel laureate Harold Pinter have formed part of the canon of world theatre since the 1960s. Frequently revived on the professional stage, and studied in almost every Theatre Studies course, his importance and influence is hard to overestimate. This 'Critical Companion' offers an assessment of Pinter's entire body of work for the stage, appraising his skill as a dramatist and considering his impact and legacy. Through a clear focus on issues of theatricality and the effect of the plays in performance, this book considers Pinter's chief narrative concerns and offers a unifying theme through which over four decades of work may be understood. Plays are considered in themed chapters that follow the chronological sequence of work, illuminating the development of his aesthetic and concerns The plays of the late Nobel laureate Harold Pinter have formed part of the canon of world theatre since the 1960s. Frequently revived on the professional stage, and studied on almost every Theatre Studies course, his importance and influence is hard to overestimate. This 'Critical Companion' offers an assessment of Pinter's entire body of work for the stage, appraising his skill as a dramatist and considering his impact and legacy. Through a clear focus on issues of theatricality and the effect of the plays in performance, this book considers Pinter's chief narrative concerns and offers a unifying theme through which over four decades of work may be understood. Plays are considered in themed chapters that follow the chronological sequence of work, illuminating the development of his aesthetic and concerns