What Do I Read Next?
Pirandello's second "masterpiece," Henry IV (1922), delves into the complexities of human role-playing and the fine line between art and life, as well as madness and sanity. The story follows a man who, after an accident, believes for many years that he is the German Emperor Henry IV. Eventually, he regains his sanity in private but chooses to continue his role as Emperor, ultimately becoming trapped in this assumed identity.
Pirandello's Right You Are (If You Think So) (1917) is often regarded by critics, including Eric Bentley, as the "quintessential Pirandello." The narrative presents three conflicting versions of a situation, leaving the audience unable to determine which one is true.
Many of Pirandello's novels explore themes similar to those in his major plays. In The Late Mattia Pascal (1904), the protagonist allows others to believe he is dead and adopts a false identity to escape his past, only to find that he cannot begin a new life without acknowledging his former self. In One, None, and a Hundred Thousand (1926), a man who realizes he cannot be defined by the multiplicity of his identities renounces life and becomes an inmate in a poorhouse.
R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots; 1922), by Czechoslovakian playwright Karel Capek, presents a unique confrontation between human and non-human figures that closely resemble humans.
No Exit (1948), by French playwright Jean-Paul Sartre, is set in Hell and explores the Pirandellian concept that our personal identity is shaped by the roles we play and how others perceive us, rather than by our own self-concept.
The Rehearsal (1950), by French playwright Jean Anouilh, presents a Pirandellian scenario involving romance, role-playing, and a play-within-a-play. A group of aristocrats gathers at a villa and navigates their romantic entanglements through an amateur theatrical production.
Old Times (1971), by British playwright Harold Pinter, challenges the audience's desire for certainty as the memories of the three characters are contradictory, leaving the audience unable to discern whose version of the past is accurate.
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985), a film by Woody Allen, offers a modern, cinematic take on the Pirandellian idea that fictional characters can possess a reality that rivals that of human beings. Several other Woody Allen films, such as Deconstructing Harry (1997), explore similar Pirandellian themes.
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