Alan Bennett: A Critical Introduction: 27 (Studies in Modern Drama) - Hardcover

O'Mealy, Joseph

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0815335407 ISBN 13: 9780815335405

Publisher: Routledge, 2001

Synopsis

Alan Bennett is perhaps best known in the UK for the BBC production of his Talking Heads TV plays, while the rest of the world may recognize him for the film adaptation of his play, The Madness of King George. O'Mealy points out that Bennett is a social critic strongly influenced by Beckett and Swift, interested in depicting and analyzing the role playing of everyday life, a'la sociologist Ervin Goffman.

About this title

About the Author

Joseph H. O'Mealy is Associate Professor of English at the University of Hawaii and Acting Associate Dean of the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature.

From the Back Cover

Alan Bennett is one of England's best-loved playwrights. He is perhaps best known there for the BBC production of his Talking Heads TV plays, while the rest of the world may recognize him for the film adaptation of his play The Madness of King George. Over the last thirty years, Bennett has written ten stage plays, three screenplays, eight television documentaries, and over thirty plays for television. Yet Bennett's work has resisted "serious" reviews in academic publications, as his reputation as a comedic player during the early '60s has saddled him with the label "lovable". Joseph O'Mealy demonstrates that Bennett is a social critic strongly influenced by Beckett and Swift, interested in depicting and analyzing the role playing of everyday life. After providing a general introduction to Bennett as multifaceted playwright and actor, O'Mealy looks in depth at Bennett's oeuvre, starting with A Visit from Miss Prothero and concluding with his most recent production, Waiting for the Telegram.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0815335407
• ISBN 13: 9780815335405
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192