The Cambridge Companion to Eugene O'Neill - Volume - Studies and Production History

Sep 20, 2026

This volume of specially commissioned essays studies Eugene O'Neill’s life and the intellectual and creative influences that shaped his work, tracing his relation to the theatrical world of the I916–42 period. It also surveys the O’Neill canon and provides production history for his plays on stage and screen. Additional essays address special topics, including his treatment of women, portrayals of Irish and African-Americans, and efforts to dramatize his parental family, culminating in Long Day’s Journey Into Night. The collection includes an essay representing critical perspectives and closes with an O’Neill criticism study featuring a select bibliography of full-length works and an index.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages275

Reading Time7 h 4 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

“Celebrant of loss”: Eugene O'Neill

O'Neill's philosophical and literary paragons

O'Neill and the theatre of his time

From trial to triumph: the early plays

The middle plays

The late plays

Notable American stage productions

O'Neill on screen

O'Neill's America: the strange interlude between the wars

O'Neill's African and Irish-Americans

O'Neill's female characters

“A tale of possessors self-dispossessed”

Trying to write the family play

The stature of Long Day's Journey Into Night

O'Neill and the cult of sincerity

O'Neill criticism

Select bibliography of full-length works

Index

三三 EUGENE O'NEILL This is a volume of specially commissioned essays containing studies ofEugene O'Neill's life,his intellectual and creative forebears,and his relationto the theatrical world of his creative period,I916-42.Also included aredescriptions of the O'Neill canon and its production history on stage andscreen,and a series of essays on “special topics”related to the playwright,such as his treatment of women in the plays,his portrayals of Irish andAfrican-Americans,and his attempts to deal in dramatic terms with hisparental family culminating in his greatest play,Long Day's Journey IntoNight.One of the essays speaks for those who are critical of O'Neill's work,and the volume concludes with an essay on O'Neill criticism containing aselect bibliography of full-length studies of the playwright's work. # CAMBRIDGE COMPANIONS TO LITERATURE The Cambridge Companion to Old EnglishLiterature edited by Malcolm Godden andMichael Lapidge The Cambridge Companion to Danteedited by Rachel Jacoff The Cambridge Chaucer Companionedited by Piero Boitani and Jill Mann The Cambridge Companion to MedievalEnglish Theatreedited by Richard Beadle The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare Studies edited by Stanley Wells The Cambridge Companion to EnglishRenaissance Drama edited by A.R.Braunmuller andMichael Hattaway The Cambridge Companion to English Poetry Donne to Marvell edited by Thomas N.Corns The Cambridge Companion to Miltonedited by Dennis Danielson The Cambridge Companion to British Romanticism edited by Stuart Curran The Cambridge Companion to James Joyceedited by Derek Attridge The Cambridge Companion to Ibsenedited by James McFarlane The Cambridge Companion to Brechtedited by Peter Thomason and Glendyr Sacks The Cambridge Companion to Beckettedited by John Pilling The Cambridge Companion to T.S.Eliotedited by A.David Moody The Cambridge Companion to RenaissanceHumanism edited by Jill Kraye The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Conradedited byJ.H.Stape The Cambridge Companion to Faulkneredited by Philip M.Weinstein The Cambridge Companion to Thoreauedited by Joel Myerson The Cambridge Companionto Edith Whartonedited by Millicent Bell The Cambridge Companion to Realism andNaturalism edited by Donald Pizer The Cambridge Companion to Twainedited by Forrest G.Robinson The Cambridge Companion to Whitmanedited by Ezra Greenspan The Cambridge Companion to Hemingwayedited by Scott Donaldson The Cambridge Companion to theEighteenth-Century Noveledited by John Richetti The Cambridge Companion to Jane Austenedited by Edward Copeland and Juliet McMaster The Cambridge Companion to Samuel Johnsonedited by Gregory Clingham The Cambridge Companion to Oscar Wildeedited by Peter Raby The Cambridge Companion to TennesseeWilliams edited by Matthew C.Roudané The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Milleredited by Christopher Bigsby The Cambridge Companion to Virgiledited by Charles Martindale The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy edited by P.E.Easterling The Cambridge Companion to the ModernFrench Novel edited by Timothy Unwin The Cambridge Companion to the ClassicRussian Novel edited by Malcolm V.Jones and Robin Feuer Miller The Cambridge Companion to English Literature,I650-I740 edited by Steven N.Zwicker Eugene O'Neill at his player piano “Rosie”in the early I940S THE CAMBRIDGECOMPANION TO # EUGENE O'NEILL EDITED BYMICHAEL MANHEIM Professor Emeritus of English,University of Toledo,Ohio PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGEThe Pitt Building,Trumpington Street,Cambridge,United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building,Cambridge CB22RU,UK http://www.cup.cam.ac.uk40 West zoth Street,New York,NY IOOII-42II,USA http://www.cup.orgro Stamford Road,Oakleigh,Melbourne 3166,AustraliaRuiz de Alarcón 13,28014 Madrid,Spain ◎ Cambridge University Press I998 This book is in copyright.Subject to statutory ex

FAQs

What does the volume focus on regarding Eugene O'Neill’s life and influences?

It contains essays studying O'Neill’s life and his intellectual and creative forebears, emphasizing how they relate to the theatrical world of his creative period (1916–42).

What kinds of special topics do the essays cover?

The volume includes essays on special topics such as O'Neill’s treatment of women in the plays, portrayals of Irish and African-Americans, and attempts to dramatize his parental family leading to Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

How does the book handle criticism and reference material?

One essay speaks to critics of O'Neill’s work, and the volume concludes with an essay on O'Neill criticism that includes a select bibliography of full-length studies.

Sep 20, 2026

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