J.O. Francis, Realist Drama and Ethics
Culture, Place and Nation
Author(s) Alyce von Rothkirch
Language: English
Genre(s): Biography
Series: Writing Wales in English
- June 2014 · 256 pages ·216x138mm
- · Paperback - 9781783160709
- · eBook - pdf - 9781783160716
- · eBook - epub - 9781783162024
This book introduces the reader to the work of the neglected Welsh dramatist J.O. Francis, a major figure in the amateur dramatic circles in Wales in the early 20th century. The book argues that Francis's work displays a particular ethical response to Wales, which aims for a realistic depiction of the nation without subscribing to widely available stereotypes. Francis's work has been foundational for drama-writing in the 20th and the 21st century and is here for the first time analysed in its context of Welsh amateur drama.
Introduction
J. O. Francis and a Welsh Ethics of Place
J. O. Francis’s Life
Cultural Background, Themes and Ideas
J. O. Francis and the Land Ethic
Chapter 1: A Son of Wales Enters the Stage
Chapter 2: J. O. Francis and Amateur Theatre in Wales, 1920-1940
The Ethics of Amateur Theatre
Amateur Drama in Wales
Amateur Competitions
Chapter 3: Place, Politics and the Possibilities of Realism
Change (1912)
Cross-Currents (19220
The Beaten Track (1924)
Howell of Gwent (1932)
The Devouring Fire (1953?)
Chapter 4: Poachers in Little Villages
The One-Act Play “of Welsh life”
The Poacher (1912)
The Dark Little People (1922)
Tares in the Wheat (1942) and The Sheep and the Goats (1951?)
The Bakehouse (1912) and The Sewing Guild (1943)
Little Village (1928)
Chapter 5: A Pilgrim to St David’s
First Journey: London – Newport – Cardiff – Rhondda
Second Journey: London – Brecon – Llanidloes – Aberdovey – Aberystwyth
Third Journey: Into the Heart of the Nation
Afterword