Modern Tragedy : Bloomsbury Methuen Drama : 9781350139787 : 1350139785 : 23 Feb 2023 : "What distinguishes modern tragedy from other forms of drama? How does it relate to contemporary political and social conditions? To what ends have artists employed the tragic form in different locations during the 20th century? The first chapter of thisbook is motivated by the urgency of our current situation in an age of ecocidal crisis. It focuses upon John Millington Synge's Riders to the Sea (1904), and shows how environmental awareness might be expressed through tragic drama. The second chapter takes a detailed look at Brecht's reworking of Synge's drama in the 1937 play Seänora Carrar's Rifles. Examining Brecht's script in the light of his broader ideas about tragedy, this study notes that Brecht felt earlier tragedies tended to leave their audiences emotionally stimulated but stunted in terms of political understanding and response. This chapter highlights how Brecht's ideas of tragedy were i