- Hardcover: 118 pages
- Publisher: Yale University Press (2 Mar 2012)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0300181310
- ISBN-13: 978-0300181319
- Product Dimensions: 18 x 13 x 1.5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 411,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Exorcism: A Play in One Act
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Product Description
Review
""Exorcism "opens a window on the moment in 1912 when O'Neill bottomed out. . . . His early writings are filled with intertextual references. The freshness and originality of his early work was consistent with the larger trend of modernist literature--deeply embedded in a world of reused words."--William Davies King, "Eugene O'Neill Review"--William Davies King "Eugene O'Neill Review "
Product Description
Shortly after the debut of "Exorcism" in 1920, Eugene O'Neill suddenly cancelled production and ordered all extant copies of the drama destroyed. For over ninety years, it was believed that the play was irrevocably lost, until it was recently discovered that O'Neill's second wife had in fact retained a copy, which she later gave to the prolific screenwriter and producer Philip Yordan. In early 2011, Yordan's widow discovered the typescript of Exorcism - complete with edits in O'Neill's own hand - in her late husband's vast trove of papers. The discovery and publication of "Exorcism", a relatively early play in the O'Neill corpus, furthers our knowledge of O'Neill's dramatic development and reveals a pivotal point in the career of this great American playwright. Revolving around a suicide attempt, "Exorcism" draws on a dark incident in O'Neill's own life. This defining event led to his first serious efforts to write. "Exorcism" displays early examples of O'Neill's unparalleled skills of capturing deeply personal human drama, and it explores major themes - mourning and melancholia, addiction and sobriety, tensions between fathers and sons - that would permeate his later work. According to Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library curator Louise Bernard, who acquired the play from a New York bookseller, ""Exorcism" might be read as a preparatory sketch that resonates powerfully with "Long Day's Journey into Night", one that brings the O'Neill family drama full circle in ways at once intimate and grandly conceived".
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2 reviews
0'Neill's L0st Play, W0W ¡
10 April 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I purchase this as a gift, the Actor Loved it, NPR also did a review & an interview with the author of the introduction to the play. google it , you'll love it.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Recommended for fans and scholars of Eugene O'Neill, but not the casual reader
9 Mar 2012
Format:Hardcover
Exorcism: A Play in One Act was recently discovered in 2011. Written and performed in 1920, Eugene O'Neill inexplicably pulled the play out of production and ordered all existing copies to be destroyed. The play was met with mixed reviews.
In the intro by Edward Albee, as a stand alone, it is a not a marked milestone in O'Neill's budding career as a playwright. Albee speculates that O'Neill's dissatisfaction with Exorcism may have to do with his attempt at eradicating this play. However, it is a worthy study as a predecessor to his more well-known works, The Iceman Cometh and Long Day's Journey Into Night.
So, having said that, unless you're a fan or a student of Eugene O'Neill's works, I found that as a reading, it wasn't particularly very good. The end is anti-climatic, and the character interactions were awkward. The play centers around a suicide attempt, but it seems the characters apart from Ned (the character that attempted the suicide), treat the incident with too much glibness. I can understand why Mr O'Neill wanted this work stricken from his distinguished portfolio. However, I'll be sure to read this again if I come around to reading the two critically acclaimed aforementioned works to have some more insight into his work.
In the intro by Edward Albee, as a stand alone, it is a not a marked milestone in O'Neill's budding career as a playwright. Albee speculates that O'Neill's dissatisfaction with Exorcism may have to do with his attempt at eradicating this play. However, it is a worthy study as a predecessor to his more well-known works, The Iceman Cometh and Long Day's Journey Into Night.
So, having said that, unless you're a fan or a student of Eugene O'Neill's works, I found that as a reading, it wasn't particularly very good. The end is anti-climatic, and the character interactions were awkward. The play centers around a suicide attempt, but it seems the characters apart from Ned (the character that attempted the suicide), treat the incident with too much glibness. I can understand why Mr O'Neill wanted this work stricken from his distinguished portfolio. However, I'll be sure to read this again if I come around to reading the two critically acclaimed aforementioned works to have some more insight into his work.
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