Synopses & Reviews
This Critical Companion to the work of one of Ireland's most famous and controversial playwrights, Sean O'Casey, is the first major study of the playwright's work to consider his oeuvre and the archival material that has appeared during the last decade. Published ahead of the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland with which O'Casey's most famous plays are associated, it provides a clear and detailed study of the work in context and performance.
James Moran shows that OCasey not only remains the most performed playwright at Ireland's national theatre, but that the playwright was also one of the most controversial and divisive literary figures, whose work caused riots and who alienated many of his supporters. Since the start of the 'Troubles' in the North of Ireland, his work has been associated with Irish historical revisionism, and has become the subject of debate about Irish nationalism and revolutionary history.
Moran's admirably clear study considers the writer's plays, autobiographical writings and essays, paying special attention to the Dublin trilogy, The Shadow of a Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, and The Plough and the Stars. It considers the work produced in exile, during the war and the late plays. The Companion also features a number of interviews and essays by other leading scholars and practitioners, including Garry Hynes, Victor Merriman and Paul Murphy, which provide further critical perspectives on the work.
Synopsis
A Critical Companion to one of Ireland's most famous, studied and controversial, playwrights, this provides a detailed exploration of O'Casey's oeuvre taking in his plays, autobiographical writing and essays. Special attention is paid to the Three Dublin Plays and the works in performance.
About the Author
James Moran is Head of Drama in the School of English Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part One: O'Casey's Life, Work, and LegacyChapter One: Biography, 1880-1964
Chapter Two: Dublin, 1880-1926
Chapter Three: Rejection, 1926-39 and Beyond
Chapter Four: Communism, 1936-46
Chapter Five: The Church, 1946-64
Chapter Six: Critical Responses, 1923-2013
Part Two: New Perspectives
Chapter Seven: Directing O'Casey (Garry Hynes)
Chapter Eight: O'Casey and Postcolonialism (Victor Merriman)
Chapter Nine: O'Casey and Class (Paul Murphy)
Notes
Bibliography
Index