Introduction

This chapter establishes the field of Closet Drama Studies by featuring—for the first time—original chapters by distinguished scholars that historicize and theorize about closet drama as a form. In the process, the book offers new ways of using “closet drama” as a critical lens for (re)visiting a wide range of texts historical narratives. Furthermore, the book contains an Appendix that features samples from the notes that Jonas Barish (The Antitheatrical Prejudice, 1981) was writing at the time of his death (1998) on the book he planned to write on closet drama. In addition, in the introduction to this edited volume, I list key areas for further research in the field, including a tradition of closet drama by African-American writers heavily influenced by spirituals, jazz, and the oral tradition. When this book is published by Routledge, the notes of Jonas Barish will be housed in the Archives of Cornell University’s Olin Library.