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This well-organized and clearly written volume of literary criticism will be helpful to both high school students and their teachers. Beginning with details about Eugene O'Neill's life leading up to the production of his first play, Beyond the Horizon, in 1920, the reader is introduced to some of the main themes in O'Neill's work. The powerful influences of the playwright's personal life as evidenced in his plays is thoroughly examined, and attention is given to the work of other modern dramatists such as Ibsen and Strindberg as inspiration for O'Neill. Each play is then taken chronologically and carefully examined with short helpful plot synopses and detailed explications of themes and characters as well as comments relating each play to the author's life. Important literary terms are defined in shadowed sidebars and included again in the glossary. Period photographs are interesting and add a personal touch. Both negative and positive reactions to the plays are included with revealing quotations from the important drama critics. The book ends by examining how O'Neill's plays influenced the other two important dramatists of the time, Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. The book includes a chronology of O'Neill's life, thorough chapter notes, a list of the plays, suggestions for further reading, Internet addresses, and an index. An altogether useful addition to the Understanding Literature series., Children's Literature

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