This is an anthology of the best papers that were presented at the 28th Comparative Drama Conference at Ohio State University April 29-May 1, 2004. This international three day event had 59 sessions and 200 program participants who presented and discussed 168 research papers. The conference was co-sponsored by 12 academic units in the College of Humanities and the College of the Arts. The panelists were affiliated with 100 universities and 16 colleges. For 25 years Text & Presentation has been publishing the finest papers presented at the annual conferences to help readers be aware of the happenings in international drama. French novelist Emile Zola, noted for his championship of the Naturalist novel, has been one of the most adapted authors in world literature. There have been approximately 80 film adaptations of his late 19th century novels and short stories, many of which occurred during the silent era of international film production (1895-1927). While the aesthetic elements of Zola's fiction continue to appeal to international cinema, the author's thematic naturalism and his "scientific methodology" have provided an ideological framework that incorporates art, science and history into the many cinematic adaptations of his work.