Playwright of loneliness: A Lacanian-based investigation of loss within the full-length works of William Inge

This study proposes to fill the gap in theatre scholarship concerning how loneliness/loss/isolation are posited within William Inge's full-length play texts by providing an investigation into the playwright's themes and techniques through the utilization of a Lacanian-based literary construct focusing upon the manifestation of loneliness and its byproducts. Said construct (entitled the Jouissance Linear Construct) is a schematic utilizing the basic Lacanian concepts of jouissance: Oedipal attachments, Name-of-the-Father, objet a, symptom, and the Death Drive. In particular, this study was focused through the question, "How is loss manifest within the plays of William Inge?"; During the course of this study, two results came forth. One, an overall thematic analysis of the seven plays of Inge was completed that illustrated and reinforced the concept of loss/loneliness/isolation as the manifest concept in Inge's work. And using the Jouissance Linear Construct, this study categorized Inge's plays as components within the literary model to provide a coherent "world vision"/central message within the playwright's work concerning loss and the resulting quest for jouissance.