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The Art of Theater - James R. Hamilton

Wiley-Blackwell | 2007 | ISBN: 1405113537 | Pages: 248 | PDF | 5.14 MB

James R. Hamilton writes that his book, The Art of Theater, has but one concern: to explain and defend the claim that theatrical performance is "a form of art in its own right, independent of literature" (15). This claim, he adds, has always been true; theatrical performances have never been mere presentations of texts. Its truth has only recently been discovered, however, as the history of theater long hid it from our view.

This discovery has occasioned a book that has virtues worth recommending, though it is not entirely clear to whom. With little context-setting and often difficult writing, the book would be a struggle for undergraduates. (The Art of Theater is concerned with arguing a thesis, not giving an overview of its field.) Specialists already familiar with the field, those versed in competing accounts of the ontology of theater and related arts, will likely wonder why there is not more engagement with such accounts. Given that the book's glossary offers explanations of terms like "necessary and sufficient conditions," the book is perhaps aimed largely at an audience beyond philosophy. This audience might, in turn, care less about meta-ontological questions which Hamilton neglects, but which struck me as crucial to the success of his central claim.


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