Theatre and Knowledge

(Paperback)

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From Plato onwards, philosophers the world over have pondered the fraught relationship between the illusory practices of the stage and the rational pursuit of knowledge. In this engaging and accessible volume, David Kornhaber sheds new light on this ancient quarrel. Drawing on a global array of theatrical traditions and spanning millenniafrom the Sanskrit dramas of classical India to Shakespeare and Greek tragedy, from the Noh drama of Japan to West End comedies and avant-grade performances.Theatre & Knowledge vividly demonstrates how questions of knowledge have long animated the theatre and continue to motivate some of its most innovative practices. As much as philosophy itself, the theatre has always been instrumental in probing the boundaries of what we can possibly know.

Concise yet thought-provoking, this is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Theatre and Philosophy.

Reviews

An impressive survey of 2000 years of theatrical and philosophical activity. * Tony Fisher, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, UK *

Author Bio

David Kornhaber is Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at The University of Texas at Austin, USA. He is co-editor of the journal Modern Drama and author of The Birth of Theater from the Spirit of Philosophy: Nietzsche and the Modern Drama (2016).