On Absurdity In Edward Albee's Early Plays

Edward Albee (1928—) is one of the most influential playwrights in contemporary American theatre. His writing style benefits from the European Theater of the Absurd. This thesis chooses Albee's three early representative plays—The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962)—to study his theme and style in line with the Theatre of the Absurd.The Theater of the Absurd was a new genre of drama performed on the European stage after the Second World War. Since its emergence, it has attracted much attention from critics. However, in American drama history, the realistic theater maintains the dominant role. The Theater of the Absurd didn't appear on American stage until Albee became famous in the 1960s. Therefore, the previous study of the Theater of the Absurd from home and abroad mainly focuses on the European classic absurdist playwrights. But with his popularity, Albee draws more and more attention from critics. However, the domestic and overseas critics usually emphasize on his concrete writing traits, such as unseen characters and violence in family. In the light of the literary theory, through textual analysis, this thesis attempts to illustrate the traits of the Theater of the Absurd in Albee's early works.This thesis consists of five parts.Chapter one is a brief introduction of Albee's life, works, achievements and evaluations.Chapter two includes definition of the Theatre of the Absurd, analysis of social background as well as its main features. The playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd endeavor to convey their sense of bewilderment and anxiety by abandoning traditional forms. Their works reflect such themes as the alienation and isolation of human beings, the difficulty of communication and the dread of facing reality.Chapter three explores the themes of absurdity in Albee's early plays. Albee's first famous play The Zoo Story shows the isolation of human being through two strangers'fatal talk. His another celebrated play The American Dream presents the alienation of modern man through a typical American middle-class family. His most well-known play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? demonstrates the agony of man whose life is based on illusions. The themes in these three plays are all common issues in the Theatre of the Absurd. Chapter four discusses the techniques of absurdity in Albee's early plays in characterization, plot and language. In order to achieve the unity of form in content, Albee employs some unconventional means. His characters often deprived of individualities stand for some types of human beings. The plots are illogical and developed in circular structure. Furthermore, the language is obscure and full of clichés.Chapter five is the conclusion. Albee's early plays show significant characteristics of the Theatre of the Absurd both in themes and techniques. He has started the Theatre of the Absurd in American stage and made great contribution to modern American drama.