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1126:, author of fourteen folio volumes, explored writing closet dramas during her exile and became one of the best known women playwrights due to her interest in philosophical nature. Although living in relative oppression, women dealt with the risks of public shame and rejection in the effort to have their writing recognized.
1111:, and others wrote verse dramas that were staged in commercial theaters). Playwrights who wanted to write verse tragedy had to resign themselves to writing for readers, rather than actors and audiences. Nineteenth-century closet drama became a longer poetic form, without the connection to practical theater and performance.
1010:
Between 1642 and 1660, the
English government banned public performance. During this time, playreading became a "substitute" for playgoing. Thus, playwrights were moved to take on "propagandist aims" against parliament and topics beyond the theatre in their writing, meaning reading such work could be
1119:
In the early modern period, women writers who were unable to "use their voice" in public were able to emphasize their opinions using the form of closet drama. This outlet for communication provided a woman the ability to "engage in political discourse without exposing her views to an indiscriminate
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Marta
Straznicky describes the form as "part of a larger cultural matrix in which closed spaces, selective interpretive communities, and political dissent are aligned." Print is the crucial factor behind closet dramas: "a play that is not intended for commercial performance can nevertheless cross
955:
in the first century AD were written to be recited at small parties rather than performed. Although that theory has become widely pervasive in the history of theater, there is no evidence to support the contention that Seneca's plays were intended to be read or recited at small gatherings of the
910:
of their works, for example in the case of political tragedies. Closet drama has also been used as a mode of dramatic writing for those without access to the commercial playhouse, and in this context has become closely associated with early modern women's writing. Closet dramas were published in
915:
and elaborate stage directions, allowing readers to imagine the text as if it were being performed. This created an "unusually tight fusion between book and reader as it endeavours to stimulate the theatrical imagination." The playwrights did not have to worry about the pressure to impress an
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created primarily for reading, rather than production. Closet dramas are traditionally defined in narrower terms as belonging to a genre of dramatic writing unconcerned with stage technique. Stageability is only one aspect of closet drama: historically,
884:
that is not intended to be performed onstage, but read by a solitary reader or sometimes out loud in a large group. The contrast between closet drama and classic "stage" dramas dates back to the late eighteenth century. The literary historian
940:) were written in the form of conversations between "characters" and are in this respect similar to closet drama, many of which feature little action but are often rich in philosophical rhetoric.
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is an example of a stage playwright who turned to closet drama when his plays could no longer be produced during this period; he was in exile from
England during the
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public," since she could choose to restrict her readership. However, women's writing could be influenced by societal pressures and occurrences.
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considered a revolutionary act. However, playwrights could write in relative security, protected by the anonymous means of print.
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1030:, continued to favour closet drama, proving that the form "served a cultural function distinct from that of commercial drama."
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audience due to their audience being whom they chose. Thus, it was considered to be a freeing style of writing.
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The popularity of closet drama at this time was both a sign of, and a reaction to, the decline of the verse
1292:
STRAZNICKY, Marta (1994). "Profane
Stoical Paradoxes': 'The Tragedie of Mariam' and Sidnean Closet Drama".
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were written in Europe after 1800; these plays were by and large inspired by classical models.
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on the
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1222:. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Publishing. p. 77.
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and there was little commercial appeal in staging verse tragedies (though
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between private playreading and the public sphere" through this medium.
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1363:"Reading the Stage: Margaret Cavendish and Commonwealth Closet Drama"
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considers closet drama "a quite legitimate product of literary art."
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STRAZNICKY, Marta (1998). "Recent
Studies in Closet Dramas".
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might choose the genre of 'closet' dramatic writing to avoid
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Privacy, playreading, and women's closet drama, 1500–1700
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Other notable women involved in a closet drama include
1072:, among the most acclaimed pieces in the history of
964:was of the closet-drama type, such as the drama of
1338:Lexington, KY, University Press of Kentucky, 1995.
1028:Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
1180:Beers, Henry (1907). "Retrospects of the Drama".
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932:of ancient Greek and Roman writers such as
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1088:devoted much time to the closet drama.
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1336:Winter Fruit: English Drama 1642–1660.
1351:. Oxford University Press, 2003 p.282
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897:A closet drama (or closet play) is a
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1306:10.1111/j.1475-6757.1994.tb01418.x
1260:10.1111/j.1475-6757.1998.tb01123.x
999:wrote closet dramas in the age of
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1026:in 1660, some authors, such as
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1294:English Literary Renaissance
1248:English Literary Renaissance
947:, many have argued that the
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911:manuscript form, including
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1361:Straznicky, Marta (1995).
1218:Straznicky, Marta (2004).
1070:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
923:
1349:Theatre & Performance
1182:The North American Review
1052:Several closet dramas in
1124:Margaret Lucas Cavendish
972:in quasi-dramatic form.
966:Hroswitha of Gandersheim
976:Elizabethan and Stuart
945:Friedrich von Schlegel
1115:Women in closet drama
993:Sir William Alexander
956:wealthy. The emperor
840:Literature portal
1334:Randall, Dale J. B.
1082:Percy Bysshe Shelley
614:Groups and movements
233:Short prose fiction
136:Major written forms
1048:Nineteenth century
953:Seneca the Younger
928:The philosophical
727:Lists and outlines
203:Long prose fiction
1347:Kennedy, Dennis.
1229:978-0-521-84124-5
1086:Alexander Pushkin
1074:German literature
1017:English Civil War
938:Socratic dialogue
913:dramatis personae
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631:Dramatic genres
372:science fiction
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878:closet drama
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875:
399:Encyclopedic
377:supernatural
293:Prose genres
149:closet drama
148:
27:Type of play
1151:Radio drama
1135:Jane Lumley
1032:John Milton
1024:Restoration
1001:Shakespeare
997:Mary Sidney
962:Middle Ages
904:playwrights
804:Composition
681:Tragicomedy
520:Verse novel
408:Non-fiction
312:Speculative
251:Short story
121:spoken word
111:Performance
84:heroic epic
18:Closet play
1393:Categories
1167:References
1131:Anne Finch
1078:Lord Byron
908:censorship
893:Definition
719:Postmodern
654:historical
593:Villanelle
474:Travelogue
469:Persuasive
449:Journalism
427:philosophy
394:Historical
362:paranormal
322:Children's
195:Electronic
69:fairy tale
34:Literature
1379:0011-1589
1367:Criticism
1322:144256444
1276:143743756
1105:Coleridge
1097:melodrama
949:tragedies
930:dialogues
814:Narrative
799:Magazines
794:Sociology
785:criticism
755:Movements
714:Modernist
704:Classical
496:Narrative
332:adventure
276:Religious
246:Novelette
211:Anthology
166:narrative
116:audiobook
74:folk play
1314:43447747
1268:43447570
1194:25105939
1145:See also
1034:'s play
809:Language
740:Glossary
709:Medieval
644:Libretto
573:Limerick
525:National
515:Dramatic
505:Children
434:Anecdote
417:Academic
357:military
178:Nonsense
79:folksong
59:Folklore
1409:Theatre
1093:tragedy
924:History
750:Writers
735:Outline
699:Ancient
690:History
676:Tragedy
553:Epigram
439:Epistle
422:history
382:western
367:romance
352:fantasy
317:Realist
303:Fiction
271:Parable
256:Drabble
241:Novella
225:romance
190:Ergodic
106:Oration
99:proverb
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1137:, and
1101:comedy
1084:, and
1005:Jonson
995:, and
824:Estate
781:Theory
770:poetry
760:Cycles
671:Script
666:Satire
639:Comedy
588:Sonnet
583:Qasida
558:Ghazal
543:Ballad
464:Nature
454:Letter
387:horror
347:erotic
281:Wisdom
261:Sketch
216:Serial
156:Poetry
128:Saying
89:legend
1404:Drama
1318:S2CID
1310:JSTOR
1272:S2CID
1264:JSTOR
1190:JSTOR
1054:verse
936:(see
934:Plato
880:is a
745:Books
659:moral
619:Poets
601:Lists
563:Haiku
548:Elegy
534:Lyric
444:Essay
342:crime
327:Genre
221:Novel
183:verse
173:Prose
161:lyric
144:Drama
64:fable
1375:ISSN
1224:ISBN
1099:and
1062:and
1003:and
968:and
958:Nero
899:play
882:play
819:Feud
783:and
649:Play
609:Epic
568:Hymn
510:Epic
459:Life
94:myth
1302:doi
1256:doi
1186:185
1068:by
951:of
578:Ode
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1316:.
1308:.
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223:/
20:)
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