Plays of Margaret Drabble: A Critical Edition

Margaret Drabble, an acclaimed British novelist, wrote two plays, Laura (1964) and Bird of Paradise (1969), that explore social class, domestic life, and questions of destiny. This new critical edition makes both plays available for the first time, providing a valuable insight into Drabble's writing and the social issues of her time.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 30 January 2019
Publisher: Syracuse University Press

British author Margaret Drabble is well-known for her novels, which gave voice to the new woman of the 1960s and continue to shed light on the complex roles of women in the twenty-first century. Drabble's long association with the theatrical world also inspired her to experiment with the dramatic form. She wrote two plays, one for television, Laura (1964), and one for the stage, Bird of Paradise (1969). Fernández's penetrating new critical edition makes both plays available for the first time, giving Drabble fans a new vantage point from which to understand her work. In Laura and Bird of Paradise, Drabble explores familiar territory such as social class, domestic life, and questions of destiny, which have been the hallmark of her writing. As in her novels, both plays reveal a deep curiosity about the world and a piercing commentary on the social issues of her time. The volumes introduction and accompanying critical essays provide valuable insight into the plays historical and social context, and explore the artistic solutions that an accomplished author of fiction found when writing for the stage. Offering a fascinating complement to Drabble's prodigious oeuvre, this volume also provides a glimpse into a specific period in English letters, one that shaped an influential generation of writers.

Weight: 278g
Dimension: 154 x 230 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780815636113