| Richard Watts, Jr., writing in the New York Post, maintained that "Brian Friel, Ireland's finest dramatist since the great Sean O'Casey, began the Irish renaissance in the theatre...." There was not, of course, anything resembling an Irish theatre renaissance in the 1960s and 1970s; Brian Friel and Hugh Leonard stood alone as the nation's internationally recognized playwrights.;Nevertheless, despite the acclaim afforded Friel's dramatic output, it has not received adequate critical study; no one, as of yet, has delved deeply into the Irish playwright's theatre, examining texts and critical material. Given Friel's stature, such a study is long overdue.;This dissertation analyzes the first seven Friel plays considered worthy enough to receive American as well as Irish presentations: Philadelphia, Here I Come!, The Loves of Cass McGuire, Lovers, Crystal and Fox, The Mundy Scheme, The Freedom of the City, and Faith Healer. Using the Aristotelian model, each play is analyzed through a study of plot, character, theme, diction, rhythm and spectacle. A final chapter looks at the seven plays as an entity, determining what is distinctly Frielian in language, theme, character, form and theatrics. Special attention is paid to the playwright's gift for comedy, use of irony, and willingness to experiment. Though clearly Irish in dialogue and concerns, Friel often manages to transcend the provincial world of his island-republic, creating universal characters and themes.;Along with textual and critical sources, the study's research included interviews with Brian Friel and Hilton Edwards, the greatly respected co-founder of the Dublin Gate Theatre and director of numerous Friel plays. Also included is the most comprehensive bibliography of Friel to date.;Friel's first success, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, fell but one vote short of receiving the prestigious New York Drama Critics Circle Award as the finest Broadway play of 1966. (Reviewer Whitney Bolton later publicly apologized for forgetting to cast his ballot for the Friel play before going out of town.) Faith Healer was included by the much respected Walter Kerr in his list of ten best plays of 1979; plays such as Lovers and the recent Translations have also received high accolades, making Brian Friel among the more respected contemporary dramatists. |
