THE THEATRE OF EDUARDO DE FILIPPO: AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY (NEAPOLITAN, ITALIAN).
Item
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Title
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THE THEATRE OF EDUARDO DE FILIPPO: AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY (NEAPOLITAN, ITALIAN).
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Identifier
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AAI8629680
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identifier
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8629680
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Creator
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CIOLLI, MARCO.
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Contributor
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E. Allen McCormick
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Literature, Comparative
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Abstract
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The purpose of this study is to introduce to an unfamiliar segment of readers the theatre of Eduardo De Filippo, the playwright-actor, scarcely known in North America, but extremely popular in Europe, Russia and South America. The reasons for his lack of success in America are quite elusive, but it is hoped that this study will help explain the motive and be informative about his contribution to the theatre that spans the period from the twenties to the seventies. His works do not follow a particular trend, even if Naples, its theatrical tradition, and his involvement in the theatre are the main sources for his production.;After a general introduction that gives the reader a few preliminary details concerning the writer's life, the Neapolitan theatrical tradition and Eduardo's individuality as a playwright are examined. The study continues with a detailed analysis of his plays. They are divided into two major categories. His early works (1922-1943) are included in the volume La cantata dei giorni pari. These plays seem to sparkle with amusing expedients inherited from the commedia dell'arte and the San Carlino tradition, but their comic patina is often embued with grotesque humor and dramatic pathos. His postwar plays (1945-1973) are included in La cantata dei giorni dispari (three volumes). They mark the beginning of Eduardo's major theatrical production and depict in a more detailed way the complex relationship between the individual and society, by revealing the misery and deterioration, both physical and moral, that the war has aggravated instead of healing. At clash with society the characters may follow different paths to find relief from their alienation and surrounding harshness even though it is in the family institution--or at least in the illusion of it--that one finds a safer harbor. The family is indeed the pivot of Eduardo's theatre, and it is around this institution that he develops all his major themes.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Comparative Literature
