Eugene O'Neill's Philosophy of Difficult Theatre

Through a close re-examination of Eugene ONeills oeuvre, from minor plays to his Pulitzer-winning works, this study proposes that ONeills vision of tragedy privileges a particular emotional response over a more rational one among his audience members. In addition to offering a new paradigm through which to interpret ONeills work, this book argues that ONeills theory of tragedy is a robust account of the value of difficult theatre as a whole, with more explanatory scope and power than its cognitivist counterparts. This paradigm reshapes our understanding of live theatrical tragedys impact and significance for our lives. The book enters the discussion of tragic value by way of the plays of Eugene ONeill, and through this study, Killian makes the case that ONeill has refused to allow Plato to define the terms of tragedys merit, as the cognitivists have. He argues that ONeills theory of tragedy is non-cognitive and locates the value of a play in its ability to trigger certain emotional responses from the audience. This would be of great interest to students and scholars of performance studies, literature and philosophy.