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mumming play

(Encyclopedia)mumming play, form of drama developed in England in the early 17th cent., based on the legend of St. George and the dragon. The central theme of the play is the death and resurrection of the hero. The...

Atkinson, Brooks

(Encyclopedia)Atkinson, Brooks (Justin Brooks Atkinson), 1894–1984, American journalist, b. Melrose, Mass. After being an editor for the New York Times he became its drama critic in 1925. Except for his service a...

Kraus, Karl

(Encyclopedia)Kraus, Karl kärl krous [key], 1874–1936, Austrian essayist and poet, b. Bohemia. His satirical review the Fackel lashed out at hypocrisy, intellectual corruption, and the machine age. His voluminou...

Lazarus, Emma

(Encyclopedia)Lazarus, Emma, 1849–87, American poet and essayist, b. New York City. Her early verse includes Admetus and Other Poems (1871) and The Spagnoletto (1876), a poetic drama. Enraged by the Russian pogro...

Boyd, Ernest

(Encyclopedia)Boyd, Ernest, 1887–1946, American critic and author, b. Dubin, Ireland. In the British consular service, he resigned in 1920 and settled in New York City, where he became an important literary figur...

Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, Philippe Auguste Mathias, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, Philippe Auguste Mathias, comte de fēlēpˈ ōgüstˈ mätyäsˈ kôNt də vēyāˈ də lēˈl-ädäNˈ [key], 1838–89, French novelist. His works, in the romantic style, a...

Boker, George Henry

(Encyclopedia)Boker, George Henry bōˈkər [key], 1823–90, American poet and playwright, b. Philadelphia, grad. Princeton, 1842. He is best remembered for his romantic and heroic tragedies, written in the manner...

Rojas Zorrilla, Francisco de

(Encyclopedia)Rojas Zorrilla, Francisco de fränthēˈskō dā rōˈhäs thôrēˈlyä [key], 1607–48, Spanish dramatist. He created a new type of comedia de gracioso, enlarging the role of the gracioso, or buffo...

Copeau, Jacques

(Encyclopedia)Copeau, Jacques zhäk kôpōˈ [key], 1879–1949, French theatrical producer and critic. A founder (1909) and editor (1912–14) of the Nouvelle Revue française, he established the experimental Thé...

Evans, Dame Edith

(Encyclopedia)Evans, Dame Edith, 1888–1976, English actress. After her stage debut in 1912, Evans toured with Ellen Terry. Known for her resonant voice, she worked with the Old Vic (1925–26) and had a distingui...