Ecology and Environment in European Drama by Downing Cless - 9780415807791

Ecology and Environment in European DramaAuthor(s): Downing Cless\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9780415807791, 978-0415807791\nSynopsis\nLooking at European drama through an ecological lens, this book chronicles nature and the environment as primary topics in major plays from ancient to recent times. Cless focuses on the few, yet well-known plays in which nature is at stake in the action or the environment is a dramatic force. Though theater predominantly explores human and cultural themes, these plays fully display the power of the other-than-human world and its endangerment during the history of Europe. While offering a broad overview, the book features extensive case studies of several playwrights, plays, and eco-theater productions: Aristophanes The Birds, Marlowes Doctor Faustus, Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream and The Tempest, and Giraudouxs The Madwoman of Chaillot. In each case, Cless connects natur.