Edward Albee and Absurdism

Edward Albee and Absurdism

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2017-01-05

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9004324968

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In Edward Albee and Absurdism, Michael Y. Bennett has assembled an outstanding team of Edward Albee scholars to address Albee’s affiliation with Martin Esslin’s label, “Theatre of the Absurd,” examining whether or not this label is appropriate.


Book Synopsis Edward Albee and Absurdism by :

Download or read book Edward Albee and Absurdism written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-01-05 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Edward Albee and Absurdism, Michael Y. Bennett has assembled an outstanding team of Edward Albee scholars to address Albee’s affiliation with Martin Esslin’s label, “Theatre of the Absurd,” examining whether or not this label is appropriate.


Edward Albee : The Absurdist Perspective In His Plays

Edward Albee : The Absurdist Perspective In His Plays

Author: B. D. Pandey

Publisher: Bhartiya Sahitya Inc.

Published: 2016-07-20

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1613015925

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Edward Albee (b. 1928) is recognized as one of the major American dramatists of our time. He is considered the most powerful and controversial writer of America after the eras of O’Neill, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Critical assessments of his work as a playwright vary from passionate applause to downright denigration. He has occasioned critical responses proving himself an enigma for critics, scholars and reviewers who have failed to reach a consensus on him as a playwright. Robert Brustein, one of America’s leading theatrical observers, displayed an arbitrary mentality of astounding presumptuousness in a review of The Zoo Story printed in Seasons of Discontent (1966) and hinted at a ‘masochistic-homosexual perfume’ in it. Similarly, in approaching The American Dream and Death of Bessie Smith, he adopted a dismissive attitude and felt only the slightest obligation to discuss the plays, preferring to attack the general decadence of American theatre. Martin Esslin precipitated a host of articles in which Albee was alternately praised and denounced for his success or failure. Philip Roth assailed him for writing ‘thinly-veiled homosexual fantasies’. Richard Schechner’s violent denunciation is based on the ‘morbidity and sexual perversity’ in Albee’s first three-act play. He dismissed the playwright as a ‘plague in our midst’ and a ‘corrosive influence on our theatre’. Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf? invited the adverse remark as “a filthy play.” There are other critics as Gerald Weals, Brian Way, Rose A. Zimbardo, Gilbert Debusscher, Alan Schneider, Harold Clurman, Diana Trilling, Michael E. Rutenberg, Anne Paolucci, C.W.E. Bigsby, Richard E. Amacher etc., who have approached the plays of Edward Albee and expressed their views in favour of or against , them. To record all that has been said on Albee and his plays, or to give a survey of the critical material on Albee, the dramatist, is not possible in the limited space at my disposal here. Further, the present study is not intended to establish the reputation of Albee. Its direct and main drive is to analyze and expose the Absurdist themes which form the fundamentals of his significant plays.


Book Synopsis Edward Albee : The Absurdist Perspective In His Plays by : B. D. Pandey

Download or read book Edward Albee : The Absurdist Perspective In His Plays written by B. D. Pandey and published by Bhartiya Sahitya Inc.. This book was released on 2016-07-20 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edward Albee (b. 1928) is recognized as one of the major American dramatists of our time. He is considered the most powerful and controversial writer of America after the eras of O’Neill, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. Critical assessments of his work as a playwright vary from passionate applause to downright denigration. He has occasioned critical responses proving himself an enigma for critics, scholars and reviewers who have failed to reach a consensus on him as a playwright. Robert Brustein, one of America’s leading theatrical observers, displayed an arbitrary mentality of astounding presumptuousness in a review of The Zoo Story printed in Seasons of Discontent (1966) and hinted at a ‘masochistic-homosexual perfume’ in it. Similarly, in approaching The American Dream and Death of Bessie Smith, he adopted a dismissive attitude and felt only the slightest obligation to discuss the plays, preferring to attack the general decadence of American theatre. Martin Esslin precipitated a host of articles in which Albee was alternately praised and denounced for his success or failure. Philip Roth assailed him for writing ‘thinly-veiled homosexual fantasies’. Richard Schechner’s violent denunciation is based on the ‘morbidity and sexual perversity’ in Albee’s first three-act play. He dismissed the playwright as a ‘plague in our midst’ and a ‘corrosive influence on our theatre’. Who is Afraid of Virginia Woolf? invited the adverse remark as “a filthy play.” There are other critics as Gerald Weals, Brian Way, Rose A. Zimbardo, Gilbert Debusscher, Alan Schneider, Harold Clurman, Diana Trilling, Michael E. Rutenberg, Anne Paolucci, C.W.E. Bigsby, Richard E. Amacher etc., who have approached the plays of Edward Albee and expressed their views in favour of or against , them. To record all that has been said on Albee and his plays, or to give a survey of the critical material on Albee, the dramatist, is not possible in the limited space at my disposal here. Further, the present study is not intended to establish the reputation of Albee. Its direct and main drive is to analyze and expose the Absurdist themes which form the fundamentals of his significant plays.


The Zoo Story

The Zoo Story

Author: Edward Albee

Publisher: Penguin Group

Published: 1960

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13:

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A collection of some of Edward Albee's earliest and most acclaimed works.


Book Synopsis The Zoo Story by : Edward Albee

Download or read book The Zoo Story written by Edward Albee and published by Penguin Group. This book was released on 1960 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of some of Edward Albee's earliest and most acclaimed works.


Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Author: Michael Y. Bennett

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-07-11

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 1351599526

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Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shocked audiences and critics alike with its assault on decorum. At base though, the play is simply a love story: an examination of a long-wedded life, filled with the hopes, dreams, disappointments, and pain that accompany the passing of many years together. While the ethos of the play is tragicomic, it is the anachronistic, melodramatic secret object—the nonexistent "son"—that upends the audience’s sense of theatrical normalcy. The mean and vulgar bile spewed among the characters hides these elements, making it feel like something entirely "new." As Michael Y. Bennett reveals, the play is the same emperor, just wearing new clothes. In short, it is straight out of the grand tradition of living room drama: Ibsen, Chekhov, Glaspell, Hellmann, O’Neill, Wilder, Miller, Williams, and Albee.


Book Synopsis Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by : Michael Y. Bennett

Download or read book Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? written by Michael Y. Bennett and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-07-11 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shocked audiences and critics alike with its assault on decorum. At base though, the play is simply a love story: an examination of a long-wedded life, filled with the hopes, dreams, disappointments, and pain that accompany the passing of many years together. While the ethos of the play is tragicomic, it is the anachronistic, melodramatic secret object—the nonexistent "son"—that upends the audience’s sense of theatrical normalcy. The mean and vulgar bile spewed among the characters hides these elements, making it feel like something entirely "new." As Michael Y. Bennett reveals, the play is the same emperor, just wearing new clothes. In short, it is straight out of the grand tradition of living room drama: Ibsen, Chekhov, Glaspell, Hellmann, O’Neill, Wilder, Miller, Williams, and Albee.


American Dream

American Dream

Author: Edward Albee

Publisher: Turtleback Books

Published: 1997-10-01

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 9781417654833

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For use in schools and libraries only. American Dream and Zoo story: two plays


Book Synopsis American Dream by : Edward Albee

Download or read book American Dream written by Edward Albee and published by Turtleback Books. This book was released on 1997-10-01 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For use in schools and libraries only. American Dream and Zoo story: two plays


Edward Albee as Theatrical and Dramatic Innovator

Edward Albee as Theatrical and Dramatic Innovator

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-05-07

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9004394710

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Edward Albee as Theatrical and Dramatic Innovator explores this three-time Pulitzer prize-winning playwright’s innovations as a dramatist and theatrical artist and his contributions to the evolution of modern American drama.


Book Synopsis Edward Albee as Theatrical and Dramatic Innovator by :

Download or read book Edward Albee as Theatrical and Dramatic Innovator written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edward Albee as Theatrical and Dramatic Innovator explores this three-time Pulitzer prize-winning playwright’s innovations as a dramatist and theatrical artist and his contributions to the evolution of modern American drama.


Edward Albee

Edward Albee

Author: Phyllis T. Dircks

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2010-03-10

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 0786456590

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This work covers the canon of playwright Edward Albee, perhaps best known as the author of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Comprehensive entries detail the plays and major characters. Other features include biographical information and insights into Albee's artistic beliefs, his understanding of the playwright's responsibility, the importance of music in drama, and the technical craft of writing plays.


Book Synopsis Edward Albee by : Phyllis T. Dircks

Download or read book Edward Albee written by Phyllis T. Dircks and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2010-03-10 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work covers the canon of playwright Edward Albee, perhaps best known as the author of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Comprehensive entries detail the plays and major characters. Other features include biographical information and insights into Albee's artistic beliefs, his understanding of the playwright's responsibility, the importance of music in drama, and the technical craft of writing plays.


The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre and Literature of the Absurd

The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre and Literature of the Absurd

Author: Michael Y. Bennett

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-10-29

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1316395359

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Michael Y. Bennett's accessible Introduction explains the complex, multidimensional nature of the works and writers associated with the absurd - a label placed upon a number of writers who revolted against traditional theatre and literature in both similar and widely different ways. Setting the movement in its historical, intellectual and cultural contexts, Bennett provides an in-depth overview of absurdism and its key figures in theatre and literature, from Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter to Tom Stoppard. Chapters reveal the movement's origins, development and present-day influence upon popular culture around the world, employing the latest research to this often challenging area of study in a balanced and authoritative approach. Essential reading for students of literature and theatre, this book provides the necessary tools to interpret and develop the study of a movement associated with some of the twentieth century's greatest and most influential cultural figures.


Book Synopsis The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre and Literature of the Absurd by : Michael Y. Bennett

Download or read book The Cambridge Introduction to Theatre and Literature of the Absurd written by Michael Y. Bennett and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-29 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Y. Bennett's accessible Introduction explains the complex, multidimensional nature of the works and writers associated with the absurd - a label placed upon a number of writers who revolted against traditional theatre and literature in both similar and widely different ways. Setting the movement in its historical, intellectual and cultural contexts, Bennett provides an in-depth overview of absurdism and its key figures in theatre and literature, from Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter to Tom Stoppard. Chapters reveal the movement's origins, development and present-day influence upon popular culture around the world, employing the latest research to this often challenging area of study in a balanced and authoritative approach. Essential reading for students of literature and theatre, this book provides the necessary tools to interpret and develop the study of a movement associated with some of the twentieth century's greatest and most influential cultural figures.


The Zoo Story and Other Plays

The Zoo Story and Other Plays

Author: Edward Albee

Publisher:

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 125

ISBN-13: 9780140251135

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This volume of plays contains Edward Albee's four most famous one-act works. They are Death of Bessie Smith, Zoo Story, American Dream, and Sand Box.


Book Synopsis The Zoo Story and Other Plays by : Edward Albee

Download or read book The Zoo Story and Other Plays written by Edward Albee and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume of plays contains Edward Albee's four most famous one-act works. They are Death of Bessie Smith, Zoo Story, American Dream, and Sand Box.


The Routledge Companion to Absurdist Literature

The Routledge Companion to Absurdist Literature

Author: Michael Y. Bennett

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2024-05-29

Total Pages: 803

ISBN-13: 1040001610

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The Routledge Companion to Absurdist Literature is the first authoritative and definitive edited collection on absurdist literature. As a field-defining volume, the editor and the contributors are world leaders in this ever-exciting genre that includes some of the most important and influential writers of the twentieth century, including Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, and Albert Camus. Ever puzzling and always refusing to be pinned down, this book does not attempt to define absurdist literature, but attempts to examine its major and minor players. As such, the field is indirectly defined by examining its constituent writers. Not only investigating the so-called “Theatre of the Absurd,” this volume wades deeply into absurdist fiction and absurdist poetry, expanding much of our previous sense of what constitutes absurdist literature. Furthermore, long overdue, approximately one-third of the book is devoted to marginalized writers: black, Latin/x, female, LGBTQ+, and non-Western voices.


Book Synopsis The Routledge Companion to Absurdist Literature by : Michael Y. Bennett

Download or read book The Routledge Companion to Absurdist Literature written by Michael Y. Bennett and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-05-29 with total page 803 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Routledge Companion to Absurdist Literature is the first authoritative and definitive edited collection on absurdist literature. As a field-defining volume, the editor and the contributors are world leaders in this ever-exciting genre that includes some of the most important and influential writers of the twentieth century, including Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Edward Albee, Eugene Ionesco, Jean Genet, and Albert Camus. Ever puzzling and always refusing to be pinned down, this book does not attempt to define absurdist literature, but attempts to examine its major and minor players. As such, the field is indirectly defined by examining its constituent writers. Not only investigating the so-called “Theatre of the Absurd,” this volume wades deeply into absurdist fiction and absurdist poetry, expanding much of our previous sense of what constitutes absurdist literature. Furthermore, long overdue, approximately one-third of the book is devoted to marginalized writers: black, Latin/x, female, LGBTQ+, and non-Western voices.