Right You Are, If You Think You Are | Laudisi’s Laughter and the Social Dimension of Right You Are (If You think So)
The following is the author's aim in this essay:‘‘Rather than interpreting Laudisi’s laughter as a sign of Pirandello’s satirical aims, I should like to suggest the possibility of viewing it simply as a spontaneous show of approval for a humorous situation, a favorable response to a rather elaborate joke.’’
Criticism has more or less agreed that Pirandello’s intention in writing Right You Are (If You Think So) was to illustrate his conviction that truth does not exist absolutely, but merely as a product of the individual mind. From here it became a question of whether the play was successful as drama and to what extent the thesis may be said to either enhance or diminish the work’s emotional content. Is Right You Are a ‘‘sensitive’’ and ‘‘provoking’’ expression of Pirandello’s philosophy? Or is it nothing more than—as Gramsci would have it—‘‘a...
[The entire page is 4271 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Tell a friend about Right You Are, If You Think You Are at eNotes.
