Criticism > Drama Criticism > Churchill, Caryl - Critical Reception

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CRITICAL RECEPTION

Response to Churchill's works has been largely mixed, and Churchill herself has observed the sometimes contradictory interpretations of her plays: "I'm accused of being both too optimistic and too pessimistic … and of being too philosophical and aesthetic and not sufficiently political." Initial reactions to her plays have at times been negative, with reviewers judging the disjointed time sequences, reversals of gender roles, and abrupt shifts in tone to be pointless and confusing. Later critics, however, have been able to discover underlying connections and congruences among the seemingly disparate elements in the plays. They have noted provocative juxtapositions, which may be ironic or poignant or both. For example, as Austin E. Quigley has observed regarding the unconventional role changing in Cloud Nine, "the double approach to character … opens up a realm in which not just double, but multiple, options are available. The performers...

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1. Introduction
2. Biographical Information
3. Major Works
4. Critical Reception
5. Principal Works
6. Author Commentary
7. Overviews And General Studies
8. Cloud Nine
9. Top Girls
10. Fen
11. Serious Money
12. Further Reading
13. Copyright

1. Drama