Rice, Elmer - Rice, Elmer 1892–1967
Rice, Elmer 1892–1967
Rice, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American dramatist, has been described as a restless innovator, a superb, although erratic, craftsman, and an outspoken defender of literary freedom. The first stage use of flashbacks occurred in his On Trial. A prolific playwright, Rice also wrote novels. (See also Contemporary Authors Permanent Series, Vol. 2.)
If O'Neill is the artist's artist, Rice is the public's artist; if O'Neill's creative urge is primarily emotional, the character-under-stress-of-circumstances forcing the creation of the play, one feels with Elmer Rice that the creative urge is more often intellectual, and that it is the artist's desire to create a play that forces the discovery of the character-under-stress-of-circumstance.
In his preface to One-Act Plays for Stage and Study Elmer Rice says, "The difference between this (the one-act play) and drama at its best, is the difference between...
[The entire page is 6987 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
