John Osborne: Vituperative Artist

by Luc Gilleman

Overview

For British playwright, John Osborne, there are no brave causes; only people who muddle through life, who hurt, and are often hurt in return. This study deals with Osborne's complete oeuvre and critically examines its form and technique; the function of the gaze; its construction of gender; and the relationship between Osborne's life and work. Gilleman has also traced the evolution of Osborne's reception by turning to critical reviews at the beginning of each chapter.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138884069
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/07/2015
Series:	Studies in Modern Drama
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments x

References to Osborne's Works xi

1 Osborne's Phallic Art 1

Part I

2 Rise to the Top, 1956-1963 29

3 Look Back in Anger (1956): Of Bears and Traps 45

4 The Entertainer (1957): The Use of Despair 63

5 Luther (1961): The Negative Way of Anger 85

Part II

6 At the Top, 1964-1971 109

7 Inadmissible Evidence (1964): The Birthing of the Self 123

8 A Patriot for Me (1965): Society and the Hidden Self 141

Part III

9 The Long Descent, 1972-1994 163

10 A Sense of Detachment (1972): The Limits of Authenticity 177

11 Watch It Come Down (1976): A Most Necessary Failure 197

12 Déjàvu (1992): Elegy for Lost Origins 213

A Note on Further Reading 234

Notes 235

Index 255

Editorial Reviews

"Gilleman writes not to bury or to praise Osborne, but to undersatnd the patterns of meaning that animate the plays. She succeeds admirably." Choice.

From the Publisher