Review
This is the second volume of Walter J. Meserve's history of `The Drama of the American People.' In the first, An Emerging Entertainment, Meserve explored the development of American drama to 1828. Here, he examines the period 1829-49 and asserts that during the Jacksonian era there was `an instant ... of time during which the rising sun of dramatic literature in America was clearly visible, even radiant, then it disappeared.' Meserve argues that the reasons for this disappearance are clear: `that because of the times, the attitudes of the people and the demands of theatre audiences, none of the dramatists were encouraged to provide the native drama that many critics and enthusiastic supporters of both Jacksonian and Whig views urgently desired.' He develops this argument through a comprehensive examination of the plays and playwrights, actors and theatre managers, and audience attitudes of the period. Meserve admits that he presents his argument with a `messianic enthusiasm,' but it is a thoroughly documented enthusism, and this volume is an important addition to our understanding of the development of American drama. There are appendixes of American plays and of American playwrights, 1829-49, a selected bibliography, and an index.Choice

Book Description
Here is a fascinating account of the struggle to create a viable American theatre and dramatic tradition in a society that, while eager for culture and entertainment, provided an environment hostile to their development. Meserve begins by describing the potential for dramatic writing that existed in America in 1829 and the obstacles faced by the many talented dramatists who emerged during the period. The author describes the work of playwrights in American popular theatre--their dramatization of current events and social issues and their attempts to adapt popular fiction and foreign plays. Two major categories of playwright are emphasized--the journeyman or actor-playwright and the literary playwright. The author finds that by 1850 virtually all of the outstanding American playwrights were either dead or had withdrawn from the theatrical scene.

FROM THE PUBLISHER