Overview
Between the trials of Oscar Wilde in the 1890s and the beginnings of legal reforms in the 1960s, the West End stage was dominated by the work of gay playwrights. In a book that covers both familiar and lesser-known works, Sean O'Connor examines the legacy of Wilde as a playwright and as a gay man, and explores in the works of Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward and Terence Rattigan the resonance of Wilde's agenda for tolerance and his creed of individuality. O'Connor contextualizes these plays against the enormous social and historical changes of the twentieth century. He also examines the legal restrictions which regulated the personal lives of these writers and required them to evolve sophisticated strategies in order to express on stage, albeit obliquely, their dilemmas as gay men.Synopsis
Between the trials of Oscar Wilde in the 1890s and the beginnings of legal reforms in the 1960s, the West End stage was dominated by the work of gay playwrights. In a book that covers both familiar and lesser-known works, Sean O'Connor examines the legacy of Wilde as a playwright and as a gay man, and explores in the works of Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward and Terence Rattigan the resonance of Wilde's agenda for tolerance and his creed of individuality. O'Connor contextualizes these plays against the enormous social and historical changes of the twentieth century. He also examines the legal restrictions which regulated the personal lives of these writers and required them to evolve sophisticated strategies in order to express on stage, albeit obliquely, their dilemmas as gay men.
Booknews
O'Connor, a free-lance theater director based in London, examines the legacy of Oscar Wilde as a playwright and as a gay man, and explores the resonance of Wilde's agenda for tolerance and individuality in the works of Somerset Maugham, No<:e>l Coward, and Terence Rattigan. He contextualizes these plays against the social and historical changes of the 20th century, and looks at legal restrictions which required these writers to evolve subversive strategies to express their dilemmas as gay men on stage. Paper edition (32864-2), $17.95. Distributed by Books International. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.