Stage Antiquities of the Greeks and Romans and Their Influence: (Our Debt to Greece and Rome Series) James Turney Allen

Description

The subject of this volume appears at first sight to be tripartite. In fact, however, it is essentially bipartite, and the title might well have been “The Stage Antiquities of the Greeks and Their Influence.” For among the ancient Romans the theatre and the dramatic art in its several aspects were very largely importations from various parts of the Hellenic world. The limitations of space have made necessary a rigorous selection of material and a high degree of condensation. In consequence many details have had to be sacrificed, even whole topics omitted. Controversial matters especially have been pruned to the quick. The result, I fear, will please no one, even as it fails to satisfy my own desires. But if it shall appear that the most essential facts have been presented and that in a reasonably clear and unbiased manner, I shall rest content. One aspect of the subject in particular, although not wholly neglected, could not be presented with the fullness that it deserves: the relation of the physical playhouse and the mechanics of stagecraft to dramatic literature and the art of the theatre. Yet herein lies the real justification of a study of stage antiquities. [From the Author’s Preface]