American Dramatic Literature: Ten Modern Plays in Historical Perspective ed. by Jordan Y. Miller (review)

330 MODERN DRAMA December AMERICAN DRAMATIC LITERATURE: Ten Modern Plays in Historical Perspective , edited by Jordan Y. Miller, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1961, 641 pp. Price $6.75. Every teacher of American drama has his own individual method of instruction as well as his favorite plays for inclusion in the course. Thus it would seem highly unlikely to expect a given anthology to satisfy all requirements. One that comes surprisingly close to doing just that, however, is the recently published collection entitled American Dramatic Literature, edited by Professor Jordan Y. Miller of Kansas State University. A distinctive feature of the work is its organization (by types rather than in chronological sequence), and it is on this point that one might possibly find cause for argument with the editor. Does, as Professor Miller states in his preface, "the brief history of modem American drama" actually preclude a chronological arrangement ? Perhaps, but the assertion is debatable. Certainly something is missed with respect to observing in the drama the shifting social scene, the progress of ideas, and the increasing boldness of thematic treatment which characterize the American drama from the early O'Neill to the current Tennessee Williams. Professor Miller attempts to compensate for this deficiency by placing each play in its historical context by means of short introductory essays. The result, however, is a backward and forward motion in place of a smooth, steady progression. But the sacrifice of continuity is not a major blemish in this really excellent anthology. It is, indeed, hardly a blemish at all, for Professor Miller has provided so many worthwhile things that only a carping critic could demand continuity too. Chief among the valuable inclusions is a first-rate brief history of American drama from its beginnings to 1918. This history, which is thorough, detailed, scholarly, and eminently readable, is the best thing of its type that I know of. Especially worthwhile, in addition to the brief illustrative excerpts from significant plays of the early period, is the section on the forerunners of modem American drama and the pioneer work which they so ably accomplished-David Belasco, Clyde Fitch, Percy MacKaye, William Vaughn Moody, and Edward Sheldon. From 1918 to the present the historical survey is a bit juggled, but it is all there. A welcome addition to this account of recent history is the generous sprinkling of excerpts from plays that have figured prominently in the development of modem drama in the United States. Thus we have key scenes from Bound East for Cardiff, The Hairy Ape, The Adding Machine, Beggar on Horseback, The Green Pastures, Idiot's Delight, They Knew What They Wanted, Beyond the Horizon, and Winterset. The ten plays which the anthology prints entire illustrate the various types which figured importantly in recent theatrical history. These plays and the types they illustrate are as follows: The Little Foxes (Modem Realistic Drama); Camino Real (the Departure from Realism); Command Decision (the Mature War Play); Porgy (Folk Drama); Biography (High Comedy); The Male Animal (Comedy with a Purpose); The Member of the Wedding (Comedy of Sensibility) ; Harvey (Fantasy); Desire Under the Elms and The Crucible (Native American Tragedy). Here, indeed, is ample fare for a college survey course. Or almost. I can think of only three significant omissions-the Modem Domestic Drama (Come Back, Little Sheba, for example; certainly Inge is too important a playwright to be omitted from a representative collection), the Drama of Social Protest (why not Waiting for Lefty?), and the Modem Poetic Drama (something by Maxwell Anderson). The only other suggestion I have would put Our Town or The Skin of Our Teeth in place of Camino Real as an example of the Departure from Real- 1961 BOOK REvIEWS 331 ism and let Williams be represented by Streetcar or Cat as an example, say, of Psychological Realism. But this is carping. Let us be thankful for what Professor Miller has made available . I might add, in conclusion, that the bibliographies are ample and excellent and the "Suggested Topics for Further Study and Discussion" uniformly intelligent and stimulating. The "Suggested Topics for Further Investigation and Report" are tailored to meet graduate as well as undergraduate requirements. The volume...