Struggle, Defeat or Rebirth: Eugene O'Neill's Vision of Humanity

by Thierry Dubost

Overview

To Eugene O'Neill, the links between man and his surroundings were of prime importance. His characters struggled with existential problems, and how they related to them reveals much about O'Neill's own humanity. For the most part, the characters defeat their problems and in doing so are "reborn" in some manner.

This work examines the 49 plays that O'Neill completed, focusing on his attempt to find an inner truth in his characters. Part One explores the family, showing how a person is trapped by heredity, space, time and communal hierarchy. Part Two deals with the individual and society, showing how societal conventions confined the characters. In Part Three, personal freedom is the centerpiece, showing how the characters develop a specific approach to life that leads to a coherent vision of the characters' relationships with the world around them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786424191
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	11/10/2005
Edition description:	ALT
Pages:	293
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.59(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Thierry Dubost is a professor at the University of Caen Normandie (France).

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
List of Abbreviations      xiii
Introduction     

PART I: THE FAMILY
1. The Family and Its Environment     
2. The Imprisoned Person     
3. Relations Between the Characters     
4. From the Microcosm to the Macrocosm     
5. The Image of the Family     
6. Conclusion     

PART II: HUMANITY AND WORLDS
7. Worlds and the Representation of Them     
8. The Place of the Human Being in the World     
9. Belonging     
10. Non-Belonging     
11. Conclusion     

PART III: HUMANS FACED WITH THEMSELVES AND INNER WORLDS
12. The Discovery of Human Beings     
13. Revelation of an Existential Condition     
14. The Acknowledgment of the Individual     
15. Nature     
16. Conclusion     
17. Beyond the Conclusions     

Notes and References     
Chronological List of the Plays     
List of “Family Plays”     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

highly detailed…an exhaustive study”—Choice; “based on an examination of 49 of O’Neill’s plays and a substantial number of scholarly works as well”—Theatre Research International; “Dubost returns us to O’Neillian drama with renewed pleasure”—The Eugene O’Neill Review.

From the Publisher

"Dubost returns us to O'Neillian drama with renewed pleasure"

The Eugene O'Neill Review

based on an examination of 49 of O'Neill's plays and a substantial number of scholarly works as well

Theatre Research International

highly detailed...an exhaustive study

Choice