Eugene O'Neill and his critics

Eugene O'Neill is still America's foremost dramatist. The man and his works have undergone a tremendous amount of criticism. The critical response to O'Neill and his works has been diverse. This dissertation will address the fluctuations in O'Neill's reputation from the 1930s to the 1990s. Critics' evaluation of O'Neill's early plays, Greek-myth plays and language, development of women characters and naturalism, and his late autobiographical plays will be analyzed.; O'Neill made a strong impression on twentieth century American drama. The majority of the more recent critics believe he was instrumental in the creation of modern American theater. John Gassner believes that "The height and breadth of American theater is measured by the stature of Eugene O'Neill. Morris Freedman says: "O'Neill remains the premier American dramatist because of his moral energy and because he 'haunts' us." James Schevill says, "Every American playwright must still measure himself against the depth and ambition of O'Neill." Early critics disagreed on the evaluation of O'Neill's artistic position in American dramatic literature. Some found his works phenomenal; others found some of his works disappointing. Jordan Miller pointed out O'Neill's inconsistency. John Gassner thought O'Neill was innovative, rebellious, and revolutionary. Ward Lewis thought that O'Neill "continues to outstrip all English-language playwrights except Shakespeare." Eric Bentley in his "Trying to Like O'Neill" thought that O'Neill was no thinker. My dissertation will be divided into the following five chapters:; Chapter one is a basic introduction which will give an overview of the ensuing chapters. Chapter two will deal with the criticism of O'Neill's early plays. They have been labeled as primitive melodramas written in the tradition of the nineteenth Century commercial theater to which O'Neill's father belonged. Other critics saw in them the seeds of psychological realism which O'Neill perfected in his later plays. Chapter Three will analyze the criticism of O'Neill's Greek-myth plays. This will include the critical evaluation of O'Neill's experimentation with language elements. Some critics saw O'Neill's experimentation as excessive; others saw it as a way of looking at and trying the best tools available to him in order to improve the art he was so dedicated to. Chapter Four will deal with the critical evaluation of O'Neill's female characters and the environment he placed them in. There is a great deal of agreement among critics that O'Neill's females are weak, one-dimensional, and are either victims or victimizers, Madonnas or whores. Chapter Five will deal with the critical evaluation of O'Neill's late autobiographical plays. Again, there is almost a consensus among critics that the late plays are O'Neill's best; that they are realistic and autobiographical. The critical evaluation of O'Neill and his works will also show that despite the fluctuations in his reputation he is still America's premier dramatist and will probably be for some time to come.