Anthologies

[Craig Walker]

Hello everybody,

I realize that, coming from someone who has a vested interest in this 
matter, my advice will be, quite rightly, regarded with 
scepticism.  But, in all humility, may I suggest that those who share 
Doug Buchanan's complaints have a look at the two volume Broadview 
Anthology of Drama?  I say this because Jennifer Wise and I set out, 
in creating that anthology, to remedy just such problems as 
these---too few Canadian plays, too few 18th C works, too few 
comedies, too few plays by women, too large a book for students to 
want to bring to class, and so on--- because we were experiencing 
them ourselves in our own classrooms.  What we had in mind was an 
anthology that would meet most of our needs and answer most of our 
complaints and yet would be cheap enough that we could, with 
impunity, ask students to buy an extra play or two to fulfil our 
course needs.  Of course, I am not suggesting that the Broadview will 
meet everyone's needs or tastes, by any means, and there are 
undoubtedly reasons some people will prefer one of the many other 
excellent anthologies out there, but some people have  said that they 
found it helpful, and that has been very gratifying to Jennifer and myself.

Craig Walker


At 10:23 AM 20-10-06, you wrote:
>I also use the (now) Wadsworth Anthology although it has some very real
>problems. It is weak on Canadian material - both in quantity and choices,
>but it also poorly represents Restoration and Roman comedy is nowhere to be
>found along with it's source: Menander. While I realize that VERY few good
>plays were written between 1700 and 1879, surely one (Sherdidan?, Gay?)
>could be included. However, it's the best I've found.
>
>Dr. D. Buchanan
>Dawson College
>
>Festina Tarde

Professor and Acting Head
Department of Drama
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario
Canada
K7L 3N6

613-533-6000 ext 75292
FAX: 613-533-6268
http://www.queensu.ca/drama/