Publication date 2011

The drama is an exception among literary forms, because it is not primarily created for literary reception, but is designed for theatre as an independent art form. To examine this phenomenon, an academic perspective is necessary that transcends poetological discourse and textual influences, and acknowledges the reciprocal relationship between theatre and drama as a constitutive factor of development. It is therefore important to search for a view of theatre and drama that allows for multiple perspectives and does not assume this relationship to be hierarchical, but instead understands its ambivalence. The aim of this handbook is to provide a re-reading of genre theory and genre history: the theory of genres is no longer accepted as an eternally valid model that was formed in the antiquity and then developed logically; instead it is seen as a series of historically influenced, contingent models that have formed as a result of specific historic constellations. The project brings together over twenty authors from different academic disciplines, each of whom is looking into different aspects of the topic.