Lionel Abel's original Metatheatre, now published in the company of new essays, has inspired a whole generation of playwrights and critics since it first appeared in 1963. Indeed, to insiders the very word "metatheatre, " coined by Lionel Abel, has become as familiar as the plays the author uses to exemplify his theory. Abel's basic premise is that 'tragedy is difficult if not altogether impossible for the modern dramatist'.