Under Cover

Megrue, Roi Cooper, 1883-1927Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 330K words
Chapters: 34

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Under Cover by Wyndham Martyn and Roi Cooper MegrueAuthor: Megrue, Roi Cooper, 1883-1927,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 5, 2012

Editor's review

Under Cover is an English-language play written jointly by Roy Cooper Megrue and Windham Martin, classified as English literature. Judging by the title and the play form, it belongs to the popular early twentieth-century stage comedy type: the plot turns on concealed identity and misunderstanding, driven by dialogue with concentrated scenes, bearing clear marks of stagecraft. For today's readers, its value lies more in its documentary and reading interest: first, one can observe how popular drama of that era constructed suspense and laughs with limited sets; second, it serves as lightweight reading in English dramatic text, with colloquial dialogue and modest length, suited for sensing the rhythm of lines. Read it as a play performed on the page, noting the timing of entrances and exits and how gaps in information are exploited. Note that the play reflects the social attitudes and expressive habits of a century ago; some devices may seem formulaic by today's standards, and readers should appreciate it with a historical eye rather than judge it by modern dramatic standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Drama enthusiasts and researchers interested in early twentieth-century English and American popular theater
English learners seeking lightweight English scripts for reading practice and line appreciation
Readers collecting public-domain dramatic texts and interested in early stagecraft

Not a good fit for

Serious literary readers expecting deep social critique or modern psychological portraiture
Readers wanting complete novelistic narrative rather than a dialogue-based script
Readers impatient with the social attitudes and language habits of a century ago

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then a second time to note the design of entrances, exits, and information gaps.
Read the dialogue aloud to feel the rhythm and comic effect of the lines; this draws you into the plot more easily than silent reading.
Jot down stage directions as you read and imagine the staging to understand how scripts differ from novels in narration.
Read it against the background of popular theater of its era, granting more historical understanding to formulaic devices.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a novel or a play?

This is a dramatic script, built mainly of character dialogue and stage directions rather than novelistic narration. Reading requires reconstructing the performance in your mind from the lines and scene cues; character actions, tone, and scene changes are largely conveyed through stage directions, making the reading experience markedly different from reading a novel.

How difficult is the English, and what level is it for?

As popular stage drama, the dialogue is mostly colloquial with short sentences; the overall difficulty is moderate, suitable for readers with college-level English or access to a dictionary. There may be a few period expressions and slang, which can be looked up as needed. It is good for practicing dialogue reading and reading lines aloud.

Why is this play still worth reading today?

Its value lies mainly in its documentary and reading interest: one can observe how early twentieth-century popular drama used limited sets and identity misunderstandings to create suspense, and learn about the stagecraft and audience tastes of the time. For readers studying theater history or fond of old-fashioned stage pleasures, it offers a concrete and light sample.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Megrue, Roi Cooper, 1883-1927 Author · American · 1883–1927

Roi Cooper Megrue (1883–1927) was an American playwright. Public information about his life and creative career is limited; among his notable works is the comedy Under Cover, and his farce Seven Chances was later adapted for the screen, which brought his plays to a wider audience through film. He wrote mainly stage comedies and farces, emphasizing intricate plots and well-arranged humorous situations, in keeping with the popular, brisk character of American commercial theater of his time. The library currently holds one work by him; though small in number, it offers a glimpse of early twentieth-century American light comedy.