A specialist in Renaissance English and neo-Latin drama, Norland (emeritus English, U. of Nebraska-Lincoln) continues exploring the origins of English drama by showing how ancient Greek and
Roman drama, were adapted to the contemporary notions of tragedy. They were first composed in Latin and Greek at the universities during the 1540s, he explains, and broke into English in 1562,
just as the new queen was getting the cushions on her throne adjusted properly. A generation later, he explains, the tragedies had became the most prestigious form of theater, and by a second
generation had spread beyond learned and aristocratic audiences to reach the general public. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
