Tragedy in contemporary drama with an historical survey of the tragedy of the past

Abstract

The following is an attempt to analyse the elements or contemporary English tragedy in the light or the tragedy of the past, with the view not so much of defining the present type as of determining the differences existing between it and the more easily defined tragedy of the Greeks or Shakespeare. By contemporary tragedy is meant the drama of a tragic nature from the time of Ibsen and Strindberg, leaving the term modern to cover the greater period since Shakespeare. I owe much to the advice and guidance or Dr. R.B. Crum under whom I have made this study, more particularly for the freedom he allowed me in the work, and for the inspiration he has been from the time when my interest in this subject was first aroused in English 39, to the completion of this paper. He has been invaluable. A word in appreciation of the interest of Mr. Collester, Librarian of Morrison Library, is certainly timely. He aided in procuring books not available locally. Less directly perhaps, but or value nevertheless, has been my contact with Dr. John Rydjord, whose History 62 gave me much that I used in my work on this paper. Dr. Rydjord also helped with his advice in regard to some details of the bibliography in the absence of Dr. Crum. John P. Cowley July 1930.