Crisis Of Survival And Self Rescue

This paper mainly makes a whole analysis and research on Eugene O'Neill's four later dramatic works: The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey into Night, Hughie, A Moon for the Misbegotten, from the existentialism angle. What's more, it makes an excavation to the existentialism factors in O'Neill's works written in his later period.This paper includes five chapters.The first part: Foreword. This chapter mainly makes a brief summary to the history and the present situation of O'Neill studies in China, then points out the analysis on O'Neill's later works from the existentialism angle has been an important part in Eugene O'Neill studies.Chapter 1: The crisis world. This chapter mainly discusses the similarities between O'Neill's four later dramatic works and existentialism in revealing the crisis of the modern society, religious decline, the society "dissident" and the degeneration of the human nature. They all express the suspicion and criticism to the rationalism, the scientificism and the optimism.Chapter 2: Existential predicament. This chapter mainly discusses the similarities between the understanding to modem people's existent circumstance in O'Neill's later works and existentialism. First of all, we analyze the existentialism content of O'Neill's depiction to the aspect of the modern people's existent psychosis manifests, then discusses the existential content of O'Neill's later works in the aspect of the relationship of individual and others. At last, we discuss the similarities between O'Neil and existentialist in the aspect of how to face the existence predicament.Chapter 3: Saving road. This chapter discusses the content of existentialism of the saving road designed by O'Neill for the modern man. First of all, we analyze the existential content of the saving road included by the former researchers: drinking, daydreaming, sympathizing, comprehending and forgiving in O'Neill's works written in later period, then discusses the existential content of the saving road "love" designed by O'Neill which passes through his whole works written in his later years.The last part: Conclusion. This part mainly makes a summary to the preceding critique, and points out the significance of the introduction of the existentialism in O'Neill works written in later period in the history of literature.