BOOK LIST
Reading edition
General References
Crawford, M. C. The Romance of the American Theater. 1913.
Dunlap, William. History of the American Theater. 1832.
Hutton, Laurence. Curiosities of the American Stage. 1891.
Moses, Montrose J. Famous Actor-Families in America. 1906.
Moses, Montrose J. The American Dramatist. 1911.
Seilhamer, G. O. History of the American Theater, 1749–1797. 3 vols. 1888–1891.
Tyler, Moses Coit. Literary History of the American Revolution, 2 vols. Vol. II, chap. xxxii.
Winter, William. The Wallet of Time. 2 vols. 1913.
Collections
Moses, Montrose J. Representative Plays by American Dramatists, Vol. I. 1918. Vols. II and III in press.
Quinn, Arthur H. Representative American Plays. 1917.
Special Articles
Gay, F. L. An Early Virginia Play. Nation, Vol. LXXXVIII, p. 136. 1909.
Law, Robert A. Early American Prologues and Epilogues. Nation, Vol. XCVIII, p. 463. 1914.
Law, Robert A. Charleston Theaters, 1735–1766. Nation, Vol. XCIX, p. 278. 1914.
Matthews, Albert. Early Plays at Harvard. Nation, Vol. LXXXVIII, p. 295. 1909.
Neidig, W. J. The First Play in America. Nation, Vol. LXXXVIII, p. 86. 1909.
Quinn, Arthur H. The Early Drama, 1756–1860. Cambridge History of American Literature, Vol. I, Bk. II, chap. ii.
TOPICS AND PROBLEMS
The best available sources of material are the collection of A. H. Quinn, which contains three of the plays mentioned in detail, and the first volume of the collection of M. J. Moses, which contains all four, and a half dozen more from the early period.
There is no need of suggesting specific topics in connection with the different plays. Each one may be read with reference to its story content—the kind of plot, of characters, of scenes, of episodes—or with reference to the skill with which it was written—the construction, the characterization, the supply of motives for action, the dialogue, the prose or verse style—or with reference to the personality of the author and the “signs of the times”—the purpose of the play, the moral, intellectual, and æsthetic character and prejudices of the author.
If the student is working toward a report—written or oral—he will arrive at a satisfactory result only as he limits himself to one very definite subdivision and presents his findings in detail.