Stage Fright

The book delves into the tension between avant-garde theater and modernism, highlighting how the latter often positioned itself against theatrical forms, favoring poetry and novels instead. Puchner argues that this ambivalence towards theater was not only prevalent among modernist critics but also among playwrights and directors. This complex relationship ultimately fueled significant advancements in dramatic literature and theater, revealing a nuanced interplay between appreciation and rejection within the modernist movement.