In examining Schiller's often-neglected use of gesture, this study treats his dramas as written to be performed -- not merely read. Many aspects of the works of Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) have attracted attention. His work as a philosopher and pioneering thinker in poetics and aesthetics and as a historian have recently been the focus of much attention. But Schiller's dramas have always held the most interest, and they continue to be performed regularly both in German-speaking lands and around the world. Schiller is a dramatist of psychological conflict rather than of abstract ideas, and he had a unique grasp of how to use the stage to that end. This study of Schiller's use of gesture begins with a discussion of the origins of the gestures he employs, viewing them in relation to his medical writings, his literary influences, theories of the theater and acting, and Enlightenment thinking in general. The study then considers the use of gesture and related aspects of stagecraft in Schiller's nine completed dramas, highlighting elementsof continuity and development. It is concerned with the interpretation of gesture, often marginalized in studies of Schiller's works, and with the interrelationship between gesture and verbal text. It also considers Schiller's relationship to the theater of his day, and discusses the first performances of his plays as well as their more recent stage history in both Germany and Great Britain. Appearing in the 250th anniversary of Schiller's birth, this study treats his dramas as plays written to be performed -- as works that reach their fullest potential in the theater. John Guthrie teaches modern German literature and language at the University of Cambridge, where he isfellow and director of studies at Murray Edwards College.

Bringing together leading British, North American, and Italian critics, this collection makes a crucial intervention in the reclamation of women's theatrical activities during the Romantic period. As they examine key figures like Elizabeth Inchbald, Joanna Baillie, Elizabeth Vestris, and Jane Scott, the contributors take up topics such as women's history plays, ethics and sexuality, the politics of drama and performance, and the role of women as managers and producers.

The year 2005 marks the bicentenary of the death of one of the greatest figures in German literature. Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) was a playwright, poet, historian and literary critic.

"A final chapter addresses Schillerian intertextuality in the twentieth century, and the survival of Schillerian ideals of freedom and aesthetic education in modern mutations. Foremost among these texts are Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange and Stanley Kubrick's film of that novel."--Jacket.