Stranger in a strange land: Autobiography in selected plays by Eugene O'Neill.

摘要

The present study aims to throw light on Eugene O'Neill's exploration of the dynamics of his parental family in his Beyond the Horizon , All God's Chillun Got Wings, Desire Under the Elms, and Long Day's Journey Into Night. These plays will be examined against the background of O'Neill's life. The discussion of the plays will focus on the ways O'Neill portrays his family and what these portrayals suggest about his understanding of the complexities of his family situation. It will be demonstrated that in the first three plays, O'Neill examines only certain aspects of his family, and he makes some variations to the actual family experiences portrayed that conceal the connections between the plays and his life. In contrast, Long Day's Journey Into Night explicitly reveals the whole experience of his family. This play was the culmination of his attempt to portray his family in his drama.