Extolled and maligned, Eugene O'Neill was unquestionably the first American playwright of international stature, and his major plays, such as The Iceman Cometh and Long Day's Journey Into Night, remain giants of the American stage. Acres of print have been devoted to O'Neill by theatre critics and literary scholars. This new collection assesses the full range of critical response, considered historically through the entire oeuvre and covering major themes and critical stances. It culls from opening night reviews of premieres and revivals as well as scholarly essays from influential critics and anonymous writers, from boosters and detractors, with the uniqueness of the critical observation being the main criterion for selection. An introduction outlines the major issues and avenues of O'Neill discourse, and a selective bibliography provides additional sources for O'Neill study.

This study explores the personal, historical, and artistic influences that combined to form such dark and influential American masterpieces as 'The Iceman Cometh', 'The Emperor Jones', 'Mourning Becomes Electra', 'Hughie', and - arguably the finest tragedy ever written by an American - 'Long Day's Journey into Night'.

Shaughnessy's Eugene O'Neill in Ireland: The Critical Response is both more and less than a detailed study of how O'Neill's plays have fared in his ancestral homeland. Part theater history and part influence study, part production sourcebook and part anthology of criticism, this volume touches on all the possible connections between the playwright and the country to which he was so closely tied. American Literature Although Eugene O'Neill felt that his Irishness was the single feature that came closest to explaining his work, the reaction of the Irish critics and public to his plays has never been systematically explored. This new study is the first to focus on Irish perceptions of O'Neill. It traces the discussion carried on by Irish critics, scholars, and theatre professionals and reveals, in the process, many exciting new insights into the nature and significance of the dramatist's work. A balanced and informative treatment, it includes the author's penetrating analysis of the ways O'Neill's Irish heritage affected his work, a selection of essays by Irish critics, and information on Irish productions of his plays. Shaughnessy first examines the dimensions of the playwright's Irish connections -- his ancestry and cultural heritage and his use of Irish-related themes, symbols, and language. He looks at the history of productions staged in Ireland between 1922 and 1987 and at the Irish perceptions of 'the O'Neill issue.' Drawing on reviews, personal interviews, questionnaires, and letters, Shaughnessy reveals the complexity of the controversy surrounding the playwright's work. Selected essays, editorials, reviews, and scholarly commentaries -- many reprinted here for the first time -- demonstrate the range of opinion and the continuing impact of O'Neill plays on Irish thought. A catalog of productions of O'Neill plays in both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland provides information on the dates and locations of productions as well as casts and directors. This lively and informative work also includes a selection of superb photos of O'Neill productions staged by the Abbey Theatre, Dublin Gate Theatre, and Belfast Lyric Players.

O'Neill's plays have been translated into practically all major languages and have received remarkable performances in many countries. His impact has been such that since 1922, according to Tuck, "there has been an outpouring of opin­ions about the man, his experimental work, his universal qualities, his philo­sophical probings, his language, his dra­matic method, and his forerunners in the theater, American as well as foreign." As these 30essays indicate, O'Neill was truly an international figure, stirring comment from all parts of the world. O'Neill's stock rose considerably in 1936 when he received the Nobel Prize. His selection was applauded in Scan­dinavia as it confirmed the opinions of his work held in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The Nobel Prize also caused the critics of France to reevaluate his work, this time much more favorably. Sum­ming up, Tuck notes that the "articles in this anthology reflect genuine attempts to present O'Neill as faithfully as pos­sible throughout the world. O'Neill's plays are not," she observes, "for any one time or any one place, as indicated by the years the essays span (1922-80)and the number of countries they represent [17in all]."

Volume of literary criticism concerning the life and works of American dramatist Eugene O'Neill.