Black Dionysus : Greek tragedy and African American theatre
"The different ways in which Greek tragedy has been used by playwrights, directors and others to represent and define African American history and identity are explored in this work. Two models are offered for an Afro-Greek connection: Black Orpheus, in which the Greek connection is metaphorical, expressing the African in terms of the European; and Black Athena, in which ancient Greek culture is "reclaimed" as part of an Afrocentric tradition. African American adaptations of Greek tragedy on the continuum of these two models are then discussed, and plays by Peter Sellars, Adrienne Kennedy, Lee Breuer, Rita Dove, Jim Magnuson, Ernest Ferlita, Steve Carter, Silas Jones, Rhodessa Jones and Derek Walcott are analyzed."--Jacket
Criticism, interpretation, etc
1 online resource (ix, 262 pages) : illustrations
9780786451593, 0786451599
795566766
Introduction : Greek tragedy and the African diaspora
Black Athena meets Black Orpheus ; three models of the Afro-Greek connection
Afro(American)centric classicism and African American theatre
Ancient plays in a new world : multicultural currents
Black Medea
Mediterranean/Caribbean, or Odysseus looks for home
Conclusion : Black Dionysus, or Athenian-African American theatre
Electronic reproduction, [Place of publication not identified], HathiTrust Digital Library, 2010