ABSTRACT
It has become a commonplace of dramatic criticism over the past ten years or so to suggest that the only adequate analysis of drama must be the analysis of performance. In the first part of this chapter I argue that this view is incorrect and that critics should concentrate on dramatic texts. I also argue that this erroneous view has come about partly because of the inability of practical criticism (including traditional stylistic analysis, which has concerned itself mainly with deviation and textual pattern) to cope with the meanings which are produced by dramatic texts. During the whole of this chapter I shall be limiting myself to matters of interpretation only. Those critics who have argued over what the object of dramatic criticism should be have concerned themselves with interpretaton and effects on the audience, sometimes without discriminating sufficiently between these aspects. It is my view that the position that I argue with respect to the interpretation of plays holds good for many audience effects as well; but the substantiation of this position would require separate argumentation, something which is beyond the scope of the present chapter.
