Books › Operas and Plays
Operas and Plays
First published 1989 · 941 pages
An immersive dive into the definitive, experimental theatrical statements of a modernist icon.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like stepping into the mind of a modernist pioneer, where traditional narrative dissolves into abstract, theatrical experimentation. The pace is meandering and cerebral, inviting the reader to linger over unconventional structures rather than rushing toward a plot resolution. It carries an intellectual, avant-garde tone, deeply rooted in the history of American literature and lesbian writing. The mood is highly abstract and contemplative, capturing the essence of a writer pushing the boundaries of prose, poetry, and performance. This is a definitive statement for the stage, crafted for readers who delight in literary history, modernist innovation, and the profound, boundary-breaking contributions of early twentieth-century experimental theater.
- Mood
- abstract
- theatrical
- contemplative
- cerebral
- Tone
- experimental
- intellectual
- unconventional
- avant-garde
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- modernist experimentation · theatrical innovation · American identity · literary history
- The writing
- Highly experimental and boundary-pushing, blurring the lines between prose, poetry, and theatrical performance.
- The arc
- A journey through abstract, definitive statements of theatrical modernism that challenges traditional narrative expectations.
- Who it's for
- Readers fascinated by modernist literature, avant-garde theater, and the historical evolution of experimental American writing.
About the book
Although Gertrude Stein, as much as James Joyce, is often considered the most famous and influential of modern experimental writers of prose and poetry, few realize the breadth and depth of her contribution to theater and opera, which hardly stops with the justly famous collaboration with Virgil Thomson, "Four Saints in Three Acts." She considered Operas and Plays to be her definitive statement, as of 1932, for the stage.
Born in 1874 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, raised in Oakland, California, she lived in France from 1903 till her death in 1946.
Description from Open Library.
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