"The Drama of Rebellion: From Ibsen to Genet" by Robert Brustein

If we look at the entire development process of classical drama, we can clearly see a development route of "God-Hero-Man": "Prometheus Bound" tells the story of the punishment of the gods for stealing fire, "The Cid" tells the story of the hero's choice between morality and affection, and "Daisy Lagan" tells the story of an adulterer being tortured by ghosts. This is similar to the development experience of modern drama - the "savior rebellion" drama also looks at the gods in heaven, and then gradually returns to the mortal heroes who hold high the banner of "individual" in the "social rebellion" drama, and then to the useless people in the "existential rebellion". It can be said that the old drama has completed the cycle of rebellion, and drama has entered the modern drama in a new round of cycles. Whether it is old drama, modern drama or contemporary drama, they are all in the process of circulation. The nine dramatists analyzed in the book include: Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Shaw, Brecht, Pirandello, O'Neill, Artaud and Genet, basically covering all the masters who have made outstanding contributions to modern drama. Although these dramatists have different creative processes and ideological experiences, they are all driven by the same driving force - the spirit of rebellion. The spirit of rebellion can be divided into three categories: salvation rebellion, social rebellion and existential rebellion. The three types of rebellion develop in a circular manner, which just reflects the cyclical development process of modern drama.

Robert Brustein (1927- ) is a leading figure in the contemporary American theatre scene. He is also a playwright, director, actor, critic and theatre educator. From 1966 to 1979, Brustein served as the dean of the Yale University Drama Department and founded the Yale University Theatre. After 1979, he served as the dean of the Harvard University Drama Department and founded the Harvard University Theatre.