Short description:

Originally published in 1974, this book examines in detail some of the finest plays from the great cycles of York, Wakefield and Chester. By considering the plays as plays rather than literary relics of a past age, he throws new light both on their aims and intentions as drama and on the intriguing problems of stage techniques. 

Long description:

Originally published in 1974, this book examines in detail some of the finest plays from the great cycles of York, Wakefield and Chester. By considering the plays as plays rather than literary relics of a past age, he throws new light both on their aims and intentions as drama and on the intriguing problems of stage techniques. The major morality plays of the period are discussed not only for the interest of their content but for their effectiveness as theatre. Throughout the book the author stresses the richness and strength of a drama which, despite its small corpus of plays, survived as popular drama for several hundred years.

Original Review of Traditions of Medieval English Drama:

‘…his study is based on a genuine feeling for the plays of the Middle Ages as theater. The reader of this book will come away with the knowledge that medieval drama brought to bear sophisticated production techniques in the presentation of plays that still stand up very well when revived in knowledgeable productions in our era.’ Clifford Davidson, Comparative Drama Vol 9, No. 3 (1975)

‘…a remarkably stimulating of the major critical problems in the field of early drama…’ Milton McC. Gatch, Church History, Vol 45, No. 3 (1976).

Table of Contents:

1.Locating the Plays in Space and Time 2. The Major Theatrical Traditions 3. Dramatic Possibilities 4. Character and Verisimilitude 5. Morality and Farce 6. Of History and Time.