Eugene O’Neill wrote his plays for a theatre in which the playwright would take a central position. He presented himself as a controlling personality both in the texts—in the form of ample stage directions—and in performances based on these texts. His plays address several audiences—reader, spectator, and production team—and scripts were often different from the published versions. This study examines O’Neill’s multiple roles as a writer for many audiences.
After a description of O’Neill’s working conditions and the multiple audiences of the plays, this study examines the various formal aspects of the plays: titles, settings in time and place, names and addresses, language, and connections and allusions to other works. An examination of the plays follows, with particular emphasis on Bound East for Cardiff, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and A Touch of the Poet.

Egil Törnqvist, professor emeritus at the University of Amsterdam, is a leading Bergman scholar. He has also published books on Ibsen, Strindberg, and O’Neill and has lectured widely in Europe, the United States and China. He lives in Amsterdam, Holland.

Egil Törnqvist
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 268
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2004
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1713-1
Imprint: McFarland

“most interesting…intriguing analysis…highly recommended”—Choice; “useful…valuable”—The Eugene O’Neill Review; “this definitive study is a needed addition to the work completed on this unique American writer of dramatic tragedies. The excellent notes, listing of plays and extensive bibliography combined with a first-rate index make this study a first purchase”—Catholic Library World.