| Grand-Guignol: The French Theatre of Horror Contributor(s): Hand, Richard J. Prof (Author), Wilson, Michael Prof (Author) |
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ISBN: 085989696X ISBN-13: 9780859896962 Publisher: University of Exeter Press OUR PRICE: $29.70 Product Type: Paperback Published: August 2002 Annotation: The Theatre du Grand-Guignol in Paris (1897-1962) achieved a legendary reputation as the 'Theatre of Horror', a venue displaying such explicit violence and blood-curdling terror that a resident doctor was employed to treat the numerous spectators who fainted each night. Indeed, the phrase grand guignol has entered the language to describe any display of heightened, remorseless horror. Since the Theatre du Grand-Guignol closed its doors forty years ago, the genre has been overlooked by critics and theatre historians. This book reconsiders the importance and influence of the Grand-Guignol within its social, cultural and historical contexts, and is the first attempt at a major evaluation of the genre as performance. It gives full consideration to practical applications and to the challenges presented to the actor and director and also includes new translations of several Grand-Guignol plays previously unavailable in English. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Drama | European - French - History | Europe - France - Art | Performance |
| Dewey: 792.094 |
| Series: Exeter Performance Studies |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 6.34" W x 9.22" (1.09 lbs) 336 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris (1897 - 1962) achieved a legendary reputation as the 'Theatre of Horror' a venue displaying such explicit violence and blood-curdling terror that a resident doctor was employed to treat the numerous spectators who fainted each night. Indeed, the phrase 'grand guignol' has entered the language to describe any display of sensational horror. Since the theatre closed its doors forty years ago, the genre has been overlooked by critics and theatre historians. This book reconsiders the importance and influence of the Grand-Guignol within its social, cultural and historical contexts, and is the first attempt at a major evaluation of the genre as performance. It gives full consideration to practical applications and to the challenges presented to the actor and director. The book also includes outstanding new translations by the authors of ten Grand-Guignol plays, none of which have been previously available in English. The presentation of these plays in English for the first time is an implicit demand for a total reappraisal of the grand-guignol genre, not least for the unexpected inclusion of two very funny comedies. |
Contributor Bio(s): Hand, Richard J.: - Richard J. Hand is professor of theater and media drama at the Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Glamorgan.Wilson, Michael: - Michael Wilson is professor of drama at Loughborough University. |