Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
by Edward Albee

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
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Book Summary Information

Author: Edward Albee
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-08-01
ISBN: 0451218590
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: NAL Trade
Product features:
  • ISBN13: 9780451218599
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

Book Reviews of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Book Review: 4 and 1/2 Stars -- An Incredible Drama
Summary: 4 Stars

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is one of the greatest post-World War II dramas, the play that made Edward Albee's name and has become a modern classic, still popular and riveting in various stage and film adaptations. Though the kind of play that can become truly superlative when well acted, it also reads better than nearly any other drama, making it a feast in all forms.

The main asset is incredibly high emotional pitch. Though the play has but four characters, one setting, and almost no conventional action, intensity peaks early and hardly lets up until the highly-wrought finale. Perhaps no dramatist since Henrik Ibsen has been able to keep things at such a fever pitch regardless of what is happening. Simply impossible to ignore, the play grabs attention almost immediately and never lets go; it not only engrosses us but practically forces us to be engrossed. Few dramas act so skillfully on our emotions; Who's Afraid makes our hearts beat with excitement and runs us through a gamut of other feelings. This is all the more remarkable in that none of the characters are even remotely likable; Albee manages to create much drama and pathos - not to mention black humor - despite this, a truly rare and notable achievement.

The play would be little more than a dramatic trick, though a very compelling one, if there were nothing else to it, but thankfully there is significantly more. It works on several levels. Perhaps most obviously, it is an unflinching psychological portrait of several character types; all except perhaps Nick are deeply disturbed, but that sadly does not prevent our recognizing them - and perhaps even identifying or sympathizing on some level. Albee has penetrating psychological insight into such characters, dramatizing their interactions in an extreme form that lets their core neuroses stand in stark relief.

Who's Afraid also vividly shows the dark sides of love, marriage, and human relationships generally. Its examples may be extreme but shine a bright light on bitterly painful areas that, though rarely spoken of, are familiar to many. Albee's picture of American domestic life is bleak, but this is a trait running through twentieth century American drama from Eugene O'Neill[check] to Tennessee Williams and beyond, and his is one of the most memorable, moving, and thus valuably plausible depictions. The darkness at the play's heart is thought-provoking and has possibly led many to reflect on their own lives and relationships - hopefully with relief but very possibly not without at least a little sad recognition.

Albee's play is also a noteworthy technical achievement in being at once almost shockingly realist yet very Modern in skillfully blending reality and artificiality so seamlessly that we are rarely sure which is which. The characters and their personalities are given very bluntly, but the extreme verbal games and psychopathology leave us constantly unsure if they are telling the truth - yet another disturbing layer to what is in many ways a very disturbing work. Also of note here is the penetratingly realistic dialogue; few match Albee at capturing how people actually talk. This allows the play to flow very well and makes for extremely quick reading - an element common in recent novels but rare in plays; Who's Afraid is indeed so compelling and breathtakingly written that many will finish in one setting.

Finally, the play is of historical interest for its unadorned portrait of mid-twentieth century American college life, especially focusing on professors' overlooked role. College is typically shown as a joyous, relatively carefree time - youth's last hurrah before one enters "the real world." However, this is of course student-focused, and the play unforgettably shows how it can be very much otherwise for professors, while the dark overtones are of course applicable to many others.

In short, this is an excellent play that should ideally be experienced in performance, but its rare literary qualities make it fine reading for those unable to attend or who want to relive the play after watching it.

Summary of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

?Twelve times a week,? answered Uta Hagen when asked how often she?d like to play Martha in Who?s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In the same way, audiences and critics alike could not get enough of Edward Albee?s masterful play. A dark comedy, it portrays husband and wife George and Martha in a searing night of dangerous fun and games. By the evening?s end, a stunning, almost unbearable revelation provides a climax that has shocked audiences for years. With the play?s razor-sharp dialogue and the stripping away of social pretense, Newsweek rightly foresaw Who?s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as ?a brilliantly original work of art?an excoriating theatrical experience, surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire [that] will be igniting Broadway for some time to come.?

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