Exploration of the life and work of Irish playwright, George Fitzmaurice

An appraisal of the career and major works of the modern Irish dramatist emphasizes the influence of his North Kerry upbringing on the rural-life the and language of his plays.

"This superb collection of eighteen plays has long been needed. It provides a sound and solid introduction to the rich field of modern Irish drama, and should be as delightful to the private reader as it will be useful for university classes."--Journal of Irish Literature Contents: Spreading the News and The Gaol Gate-- Lady Gregory; On Baile's Strand and the Only Jealousy of Emer--W.B. Yeats; The Land--Padraic Colum; The Playboy of the Western World--J.M. Synge; Maurice Harr--T. C. Murray; The Magic Glasses--George Fitzmaurice; Juno and the Paycock- -Sean O'Casey; The Big House--Lennox Robinson; The Old Lady Says "No "--Denis Johnston; As the Crow Flies--Austin Clarke; The Paddy Pedlar--M. J. Malloy; The Vision of Mac Conglinne--Padraic Fallon; The Quare Fellow--Brendan Behan; All that Fall--Samuel Becket; Da--Hugh Leonard; Translations--Brian Friel

The adventures of a group who survived a poisonous cloud that turned everyone else into stone.

Fathers and Sons at the Abbey Theatre demonstrates how the literary archetype of the clash between fathers and sons and the subsequent depiction of anti-oedipal figures become a major concern for the playwrights writing in a specific and crucial moment of Irish history (1904-1938). The father can be conceived both as a historical / political metaphor as well as a real father in a specific historical and social context. The classical models employed as theoretical tools to nuance the argument--Laius and Oedipus, Ulysses and Telemachus, Aeneas and Anchises, Priam and Hector, Hector and Astyanax--are challenged by the Christian example of Abraham and Isaac, subversively adjusted by Yeats to provide a tragic reading of post-colonial Ireland. All of these pairings provide archetypes for the understanding of complex personal and familial dynamics. The book takes into consideration not only the most famous figures of the Irish National Theatre--as W.B. Yeats, J.M. Synge, Augusta Gregory, and Sean O?Casey?but also overlooked authors such as T.C. Murray, Padraic Colum, Paul Vincent Carroll, Lennox Robinson, Denis Johnston, George Shiels, St. John Ervine, Teresa Deevy. Many commentators have written about the playwrights of the Abbey Theatre, mainly focusing on politics, social classes, Irish identity, cultural issues, and linguistic aspects: no thorough analysis of the clash between generations has been published so far. Those who have tackled the issue have devoted their attention to a single author, or to a single aspect; this study aims to demonstrate that the repeated occurrence of anti-oedipal figures and of the archetype of the clash between fathers and sons?a clear manifestation of the need of emancipation from oppressive authorities and of change in Irish society?must be read as a common phenomenon and as a shared concern. The book is written for people interested in Irish studies, post-colonial studies, and theatre studies.

This book explores the drama of John B. Keane and focuses on his best-known play, The Field, in an examination of the cultural and psychological resonances present in his work. From the changing social, political, and economic contexts of the play’s genesis, to present-day austerity and malaise, The Field remains a popular and relevant piece of theatre, and in this publication possible motivations behind such popularity and relevance are posited. Unconscious resonant processes of identification at play within The Field are explored through the application of psychological and post-colonial filters, and the analysis of Keane’s representations of gender, both masculine and feminine, with strong reference to socio-historical contexts throughout. By doing so, further ways of re-reading Keane’s works are suggested, thereby encouraging a re-appraisal of an often critically overlooked Irish playwright. The examination of the concept of ‘resonance’, which is at the core of this book, provides a unique insight into Keane’s drama and how it interacts with the public at large. Through the modes of analysis of The Field employed in this work, further methods of reading Keane’s other dramas are suggested, and thus, this book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Keane, Irish drama, or for that matter, the field of Irish studies itself.