ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book expands upon each of Cohen's "seven theses" in order to make them specifically useful to the analysis of a performance in its historical context, to give the reader a clear method for engaging with theatrical monsters of all kinds. It discusses some hitherto-unexplored thematic questions about the most significant monster that haunts the nightmares of modernity. The book examines the theatrical evolution of a creature with origins in Balkan folklore, but which was fundamentally revamped by the same night of creative darkness that gave birth to Frankenstein. It focuses on the eighteenth century to witness an important argument between Voltaire and Lessing about the role of ghosts in the drama that spans millennia and has important implications for our understanding of the plethora of ghosts that appear, or are merely suggested, on our contemporary stages.
