In this collection of critical essays, novelist and playwright Francis Quinlan examines the enduring legacy of the most famous playwrights, authors, and folklorists.

The collection takes its title from Quinlan's essay on Noël Coward. Numerous theater critics pronounced Coward's corpus as "fluff"-but Coward's name lives on, while theirs have been lost to time. What makes this fluff so enduring, and what can it tell us about modern theater?

In addition to his essay on Coward, Quinlan provides insight on

• Arthur Conan Doyle's influence on the creation of the detective novel;
• Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan and its interpretation of Asian mythology and spiritualism;
• Anton Chekhov's evolution from farceur to dramatist;
• Eugene O'Neill's connection to ancient Greek tragedy and adaptation of The Oresteia;
• Bertolt Brecht's role in bringing epic theater to America;
• August Strindberg's interpretation of the tragic hero and the tragic flaw;
• William Shakespeare's lasting impact on theater;
• David Rabe's reputation as a "truth-teller"; and
• the staging of the Pearl Theatre's many productions in New York City.

Quinlan's work takes readers from the stage of the Globe Theatre in London, England, to the lonely wilderness of the Japanese countryside. Murderers, rogues, ghosts, and demons all make an appearance in Enduring Fluff.