THE PLAYS OF EDWARD ALBEE, 1959--1980: EXPERIMENTS IN DRAMATIC FORM

This study undertakes to assess Edward Albee's contribution to the idea of form in the American drama by following the pattern of his experimentation in the stage plays produced between 1959 and 1980.; Two conclusions have been reached. One is that Albee follows in an American tradition of experimentation initiated by Eugene O'Neill and his contemporaries in the twenties and developed through the works of dramatists in succeeding epochs. A second conclusion is that Albee is a leading figure in this most recent period of dramatic development in America.; The assumption that Edward Albee's achievement is based on his success in introducing elements of absurdism and expressionism into representations of American settings, characters and actions is only partially accurate. This view of his work has been based on critical assessments of his early plays, notably The American Dream and The Sandbox. Other works reflect the unique character of his personal vision: his realism, his stylized depiction of characters, his unorthodox treatments of social dilemmas, and his use of idiomatic language. There is a clear progression from Edward Albee's earliest plays to his latest works, in terms of his treatment of themes, characters, language, physical settings, and emotional environments.; The study of continuity in Edward Albee's work gives rise to the second conclusion offered in the dissertation, which is that his work reflects a highly personal view of American experience. The plays studied do not conform to any single dramatic style. Among the most significant of his experiments is the attempt to employ abstract structure in the plotting of action in Box and Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung. Such experiments with form become increasingly frequent in Albee's latest plays, suggesting that an accurate analysis of his form of experimentalism must take into account his most recent and least popular plays, as well as his earlier ones.; The dissertation also contains an appendix in which can be found materials relating to productions of Albee's plays in Germany, including the Berlin premiere of his first play The Zoo Story.