The Dramatic Art of David Storey: The Journey of a Playwright

(Hardback)

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Detailing all the plays of contemporary English playwright David Storey, this study focuses on the major themes found in his work: the worlds of madness, work and the family. Storey's developing technique as a dramatist is closely examined and attention is given to his experimental concerns. In addition, Liebman identifies relationships between Storey's fiction and his drama, highlighting how similar themes and characters appear in both his novels and his plays. The study also includes discussion of contemporary thinking on Storey by scholars, critics and theatre professionals.

Reviews

"Professor Liebman has written a lucid and critical examination of David Storey's theater and its reflection of British society from the perspective of family, work, and madness. Each play is carefully analyzed and placed in its proper social setting in writing that is both scholarly and enlightening."- George Wellwarth Professor of Theatre and Comparative Literature SUNY Binghamton
"Professor Liebman's study is distinguished by its careful and close analysis of the entire body of Storey's work, producing a comprehensive and cogent assessment. Arguing that Storey's drama is characterized by its investigation of three "worlds"--the worlds of work, family and madness--Liebman provides detailed readings of the plays that delve into the psychological and philosophical ramifications of these three basic themes....This is the work of a mature scholar, a splendid critic and an experienced academic. It should find a healthy readership among teachers and scholars of modern drama and theatre. I recommend it highly."-Una Chaudhuri Associate Professor and Chair, Drama Department New York University
David Storey was once considered a formidable force in British New Wave drama, on a par with John Arden, John Osborne and Harold Pinter. Yet despite his early success and his impressive output of over two dozen plays and novels, his work has inspired only a negligible amount of scholarly criticism. Herbert Liebman's The Dramatic Art of David Storey is an admirable attempt to give Storey's dramatic opus the attention it deserves....The book integrates scattered scholarly opinions into a play by play analysis, and provides a bibliography of critical writings, as well as a complete listing of Storey's dramatic and nondramatic works (including rare publication information on Phoenix). Hopefully, this book will help regenerate serious interest in David Storey's plays, and provide a foundation for future scholarship.-Theatre Journal
Liebman discusses Storey's plays by dividing them into three major thematic categories: the world of work, the world of madness, and the world of the family. In the course of the discussion, a number of subthemes also emerge: isolation, struggle for survival, educational alienation, parent/child relations, and class identification. All of this is quite logical, and the material is presented in a straightforward style blessedly free of some of the less desirable characteristics of mdern literary criticism. Undergraduates will find this book understandable and valuable....-Choice
"David Storey was once considered a formidable force in British New Wave drama, on a par with John Arden, John Osborne and Harold Pinter. Yet despite his early success and his impressive output of over two dozen plays and novels, his work has inspired only a negligible amount of scholarly criticism. Herbert Liebman's The Dramatic Art of David Storey is an admirable attempt to give Storey's dramatic opus the attention it deserves....The book integrates scattered scholarly opinions into a play by play analysis, and provides a bibliography of critical writings, as well as a complete listing of Storey's dramatic and nondramatic works (including rare publication information on Phoenix). Hopefully, this book will help regenerate serious interest in David Storey's plays, and provide a foundation for future scholarship."-Theatre Journal
"Liebman discusses Storey's plays by dividing them into three major thematic categories: the world of work, the world of madness, and the world of the family. In the course of the discussion, a number of subthemes also emerge: isolation, struggle for survival, educational alienation, parent/child relations, and class identification. All of this is quite logical, and the material is presented in a straightforward style blessedly free of some of the less desirable characteristics of mdern literary criticism. Undergraduates will find this book understandable and valuable...."-Choice

Author Bio

HERBERT LIEBMAN is emeritus Professor of English at The College of Staten Island, City University of New York. He is an NEA-Award winning playwright and has published short stories in Confrontation, Chelsea, Paris Transcontinental, Midstream, and Pen Syndicated Fiction Project.