The Dramatic Concepts of Antonin Artaud

Eric Sellin

Jan 2017 · Quid Pro Books

About this ebook

Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) conceived and inaugurated the Theater of Cruelty, a dramatic movement that has had a profound influence on the avant garde theater in Europe and the United States. The movement is exemplified by the Peter Brook production of Marat/Sade. This book, the first to analyze Artaud's theories, their sources, and the extent to which he succeeded in implementing them in his own plays, is now available in a 2017 digital edition (and new paperback and hardback editions), readily accessible to scholars and interested fans of literary criticism and the modern theater worldwide. 

The new edition adds a thoughtful Foreword by Professor Peter Thompson of Roger Williams University. This sophisticated study will be essential reading for all scholars interested in modern French literature and the evolution of 20th century drama, for the many devotees of avant garde theater, and for those who have felt puzzled by the superficiality of much contemporary drama. 

Originally published by The University of Chicago Press, the book is brought to a new generation by Quid Pro Books, in digital and print formats. Quality eBook features include proper formatting, linked table of contents and footnotes, all the images from the original printings, and even a fully linked subject-matter index. 

About the author

ERIC SELLIN is Professor Emeritus of French at Tulane University. Previously, he taught French and Comparative Literature for twenty-eight years at Temple University. He has also taught at Clark University and at the Universities of Pennsylvania, Bordeaux, Algiers, and Dakar. Sellin has authored several books and essays on a wide variety of topics, including comparative literature, art, and aesthetics. He has also published a dozen books and chapbooks of poetry in English and French.