Speaking in Tongues: Languages at Play in the Theatre - Brossura

Carlson, Marvin

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0472033921 ISBN 13: 9780472033928

Casa editrice: Univ of Michigan Pr, 2009

Riassunto

Speaking in Tongues presents a unique account of how language has been employed in the theatre, not simply as a means of communication but also as a stylistic and formal device, and for a number of cultural and political operations. The use of multiple languages in the contemporary theatre is in part a reflection of a more globalized culture, but it also calls attention to how the mixing of language has always been an important part of the functioning of theatre.

The book begins by investigating various "levels" of language-high and low style, prose and poetry-and the ways in which these have been used historically to mark social positions and relationships. It next considers some of the political and historical implications of dialogue theatre, as well as theatre that literally employs several languages, from classical Greek examples to the postmodern era. Carlson treats with special attention the theatre of the postcolonial world, and especially the triangulation of the local language, the national language, and the colonial language, drawing on examples of theatre in the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Finally, Carlson considers the layering of languages in the theatre, such as the use of supertitles or simultaneous signing.

Speaking in Tongues draws important social and political conclusions about the role of language in cultural power, making a vital contribution to the fields of theatre and performance.

Marvin Carlson is Sidney E. Cohn Professor of Theatre and Comparative Literature, CUNY Graduate Center. He is author of Performance: A Critical Introduction; Theories of the Theatre: A Historical and Critical Survey, from the Greeks to the Present; and The Haunted Stage: The Theatre as Memory Machine, among many other books.

Su questo libro

Product Description

This book explores the political, social, and historical implications of staged language. "Speaking in Tongues" presents a unique account of how language has been employed in the theater not simply as a means of communication, but as a stylistic device essential to theater's function. The book investigates the various 'levels' of language and their respective social implications; looks at a range of examples of multiple-language and multiple-dialect theater, from classical Greece to the postmodern era; addresses issues of language in the postcolonial world; and considers modern language play and the layering of languages in the theater, such as with supertitles or simultaneous signing. "Speaking in Tongues" draws important social and political conclusions about the role of language in cultural power, making a vital contribution to the fields of theater and performance.

Dettagli dell?edizione

• Editore: Univ of Michigan Pr
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0472033921
• ISBN 13: 9780472033928
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Lingua: Inglese
• Numero di pagine: 257