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The Chairs | Essays and Criticism

• A Play About Self-Delusion

  In this essay, Petrusso considers The Chairs a play about self-delusion.

• Review of a 1998 Revival of Ionesco's Play

  Lahr reviews a 1998 revival of Ionesco’s play in this essay. The critic offers a highly favorable appraisal of the play, labeling it as one of the great dramatic pieces of the twentieth century.

• Differences in Languages and Translations

  In the following brief essay, Brown discusses the manner in which certain meanings in Ionesco¡¯s play can be misconstrued due to differences in language and translations.

• Ionesco’s The Chairs’

  Jacobs discusses the nature of absurdity as it applies to drama. He argues that The Chairs, rather than being an example of theatre of the absurd, is actually ‘‘straightforward and obvious good sense.’’

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1. The Chairs: Introduction
2. The Chairs: Summary
3. The Chairs: Eugene Ionesco Biography
4. The Chairs: Characters
5. The Chairs: Themes
6. The Chairs: Style
7. The Chairs: Historical Context
8. The Chairs: Critical Overview
9. The Chairs: Essays and Criticism
   1. A Play About Self-Delusion
   2. Review of a 1998 Revival of Ionesco's Play
   3. Differences in Languages and Translations
   4. Ionesco’s The Chairs’
10. The Chairs: Compare and Contrast
11. The Chairs: Topics for Further Study
12. The Chairs: What Do I Read Next?
13. The Chairs: Bibliography and Further Reading
14. The Chairs: Pictures
15. Copyright

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