Hysteria, trauma and melancholia are not only powerful tropes in contemporary culture, they are also prominent in the theatre. As the first study in its field, Hysteria, Trauma and Melancholia explores the characteristics and concerns of the Drama of Hysteria, Trauma and Melancholia through in-depth readings of representative plays.

Autorentext
CHRISTINA WALD is Assistant Professor of English Literature at the University of Augsburg, Germany. She has co-edited a book on the rhetorical figure of repetition (Kippfiguren der Wiederholung, 2007) and published articles on contemporary and early modern drama, feminist and gender theory, and on filmic adaptations of Jane Austen's novels.

Inhalt
Acknowledgements Introduction: Theatrical Performance, Gender Performativity, and The Drama of Performative Malady PART I: THE DRAMA OF HYSTERIA Hysteria: Theory and Theatre Anna Furse: Augustine (Big Hysteria) (1991) Kim Morrissey: Dora: A Case of Hysteria (1993) Terry Johnson: Hysteria or Fragments of an Analysis of an Obsessional Neurosis (1993) Hysteria as Performative Malady PART II: TRAUMA DRAMA Trauma Concepts, Trauma Culture Victoria Hardie: Sleeping Nightie (1989) Sarah Daniels: Beside Herself (1990) Phyllis Nagy: Butterfly Kiss (1994) Claire Dowie: Easy Access (for the Boys) (1998) Trauma as Performative Malady PART III: THE DRAMA OF MELANCHOLIA Concepts of Melancholia: From Black Bile to Melancholic Incarnation David Auburn: Proof (2000) Marina Carr: Portia Coughlan (1996) Sarah Kane: Cleansed (1998) Melancholia as Performative Malady Conclusion: The Drama of Performative Malady Notes Works Cited Index