Wilde in an Hour (Playwrights in an Hour) - Softcover

Emily Esfahani Smith

9781936232307: Wilde in an Hour (Playwrights in an Hour)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1936232308 ISBN 13: 9781936232307

Publisher: Smith & Kraus, 2010

BOOK SYNOPSIS After a meeting with Pope Pius IX, Oscar Wilde locked himself in his room emerging only after writing a sonnet inspired by and dedicated to the Pope. Hours later, he visited the protestant cemetery where the Romantic poet, John Keats, was buried. Kneeling at his grave, Wilde ostentatiously declared it to be the holiest place in Rome. Did Oscar Wilde contradict himself? Did he contain multitudes? He did, to understate the matter --- and those complexities were best expressed in his great theatrical works like Lady Windermere s Fan, Salome, and, of course, The Importance of Being Earnest.

Setting the playwright in context to his personal life, social, historical and political events, other writers of influence, and more, you will quickly gain a deep understanding of Wilde and the plays he wrote. Read Wilde in an Hour and experience his plays like never before. Know the playwright, love the play!
SELLING POINTS The book features:

� Wilde in an Hour, the main essay of the book

� Wilde In a Minute, a snapshot chronology

� A complete listing of Wilde s work

� A list of Wilde s contemporaries in all fields

� Excerpts from Wilde s significant works

� An extensive bibliography grouped according to type of reader

� An index of the main essay.
THE SERIES Playwrights in an Hour is a series devoted to the most produced and studied playwrights in the English language, from the Greek masters to contemporary writers, and written by leading authorities in the field. Each short book places the playwright and his or her work in historical, social, and literary context.

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About the Author:

Emily Esfahani Smith, a graduate of Dartmouth College, is a journalist and writer in Washington, D.C. Her work on cultural, political, and international affairs has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, National Review, The American Spectator, and the New Criterion.

Review:

Praise for Playwrights in an Hour Series,

"Each compact volume supplies enough essential information to enable even the most uninformed theatergoer to hold his or her own in a postshow discussion. This new series is highly recommended for theater students, playgoers, and professionals." --Library Journal

Of Playwrights in an Hour Series, "These 27 books should be especially welcomed by actors and directors." --Stage Directions

"You will find great value in these attractive little volumes." --Robert Brustein, Founding Director of Yale and American Repertory Theaters

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