Queering W. B. Yeats and Gabriele D’Annunzio

Queering W. B. Yeats and Gabriele D’Annunzio is an important new study that is revelatory not only for what it reveals about these two important playwrights, but also for its innovative approach to methodology. As modernist playwrights, Yeats and D’Annunzio adopted a variety of approaches – both overlapping and contrasting – to their dramaturgy and stagecraft, and this book sheds new light on the political and aesthetic consequences of their work. Of even greater value, however, is Balázs’s extraordinarily deft and original application of queer theory to these writers’ dramas and legacies. The overall impact is to open up new approaches to research in modernism, theatre studies, queer theory – and beyond.

-Prof. Patrick Lonergan, University of Galway, Ireland

Queering W. B. Yeats and Gabriele D’Annunzio offers a fresh, creative, and highly illuminating approach to the work of two essential yet perplexing modern European playwrights. Reading Yeats through the lens of queer theory unlocks some of the contradictions of his treatment of gender and sexuality, demonstrating that they remain profoundly anti-normative and anti-authoritarian even when citing heteronormative or misogynistic tropes. In addition to provocative and generative readings of some of Yeats's and D’Annunzio’s most difficult plays, Balázs’s book offers a treasure trove of information about modernist theatrical production and the performers who brought these dramas to life. The questions raised in this book about the arts and authority could not possibly be more timely. This book will be essential reading for anyone drawn to the fascinating world of modern European drama.

-Prof. Susan Cannon Harris, University of Notre Dame

This monograph provides the first fully theorised queer and comparative reading of Yeats’s and D’Annunzio’s drama in light of the playwrights’ rich queer and feminist networks. It uncovers a subversive and often coded social commentary in eight key dramatic texts by each playwright through meticulous and highly topical dramaturgical readings which carry relevant implications for the contemporary moment.                                                                          

Zsuzsanna Balázs is Assistant Professor at Óbuda University in Budapest, Hungary.