Good writers borrow, great writers kill: the evolution of the thriller genre in thesis play \(Author\)

[摘要] My thesis play \(Author\) is an evolution of the thriller play. I studied the history of the thriller genre, outlining a brief journey from the ancient plays of Greece and Rome, the tragedies of William Shakespeare, and the whodunnits and melodramas of the 1800s and 1900s. I examined the pre-existing plays \(Sleuth\) by Antony Shaffer and \(Deathtrap\) by Ira Levin, using them as case studies of models of the stage thriller and showing how they influenced the literary genre in the 1970s, creating a new form called \(post-modern\) \(comedy\) \(thrillers\). These two plays were essential in the drafting process of \(Author\), serving as guides on how to effectively use and subvert the conventions of the thriller genre to evolve the art form through \(double-coding\). The development of Author from first draft to the Playwrights’ Workshop featured poignant changes, specifically in the use of unreliable narration, that illustrate the continued evolution of the thriller onstage.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of English, Drama and American & Canadian Studies, Department of Drama and Theatre Arts

[关键词] P Language and Literature;PN Literature (General)