Desire Under the Elms (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Eugene O’Neill
- First Published: 1925
- Type of Work: Play
- Genres: Drama, Tragedy
- Subjects: Parents and children, Nineteenth century, Prostitution or prostitutes, New England, Farms, farmers, or farming, Fathers, Greed, Theft, Property, Gold, Precious metals or stones, Hatred
- Locales: New England
Banned in Boston and England, narrowly escaping a ban in New York, and its Los Angeles cast arrested for obscenity, Desire Under the Elms, with incest, adultery, and infanticide openly treated, brought O’Neill into conflict with various censors and brought much of the public to the box office. It ran for 208 performances on and off Broadway and may be the first important American tragedy.
The play demonstrates O’Neill's exploration of Greek theater. It does not derive directly from any particular play, but its material echoes Hippolytus and Medea, which...
[The entire page is 1082 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
