Seán O'Casey Summary

Biography EssaySean O'Casey's considerable literary achievements have been overshadowed by the contentious political circumstances which informed much of his art as well as his life. Long recognized a... Read more

Sean O'Casey's considerable literary achievements have been overshadowed by the contentious political circumstances which informed much of his art as well as his life. Long recognized as the first and... Read more

Critical Essay by Samuel Beckett This is the interest of Windfalls—that by its juxtaposition of what is distinguished and what is not, the essential O'Casey and the incidental, it facil... Read more

Critical Essay by Bernice Schrank Recurring patterns of destructive disorder underlie and link all the elements of [The Shadow of a Gunman] from the sloppiness of Seumas's room to the politica... Read more

Gilman is an American critic, editor, and educator. In the following review, a small portion of which appeared in CLC-5, he contends that O'Casey's literary reputation has been unduly in... Read more

Hogan is an American playwright, educator, and critic. In the following excerpt, he discusses O'Casey's "expressionistic" use of rhetorical, dramatic, and stylistic artific... Read more

In the following excerpt, Campbell contends that Juno and the Paycock and Shadow of a Gunman authentically and sympathetically portray Dublin's working classes and that these dramas also espous... Read more

MacNeice was an Irish-born English poet, playwright, critic and educator. In the following review of Inishfallen, Fare Thee Well, he faults O'Casey's writing as overly polemical and inte... Read more

Weatherby is an English journalist and novelist. In the following excerpt from an interview that was originally published in the Manchester Guardian on 10 September 1959, O'Casey reflects on hi... Read more

O'Neill-Barna is an American writer. In the following review, she asserts that O'Casey's status as a major playwright and a social and theatrical visionary, long obscured by the o... Read more

Critical Essay by Emil Roy Because of his unabashed love of melodramatic devices, and particularly because of his self-taught reflections of the Bible, Shakespeare, and Dion Boucicault, O'Case... Read more

Critical Essay by Jacqueline Doyle The Silver Tassie represents a radical departure from Sean O'Casey's early work, and its most significant aspects have been almost consistently misund... Read more

In the following review of the world premiere of The Silver Tassie, the critic comments on the success of O'Casey's experimental dramatic practices. Many years may pass before Mr. O&#... Read more

In the following essay, O'Casey responds to the animosity expressed by Dublin critics towards his plays, particularly their relentless berating of The Bishop's Bonfire. It touches the... Read more

In the following essay, Rollins and Rabby situate the dramatic patterns and techniques of The Silver Tassie within the context of other contemporary plays that deal with the horror of war, showing how... Read more

In the following excerpt, Krause describes the historical and religious contexts of Cock-a-Doodle Dandy in relation to the comedic themes expressed in the play. The ban on laughter stretches back t... Read more

In the following essay, Kosok demonstrates that O'Casey's influence on contemporary dramatists was negligible beyond his work in the “Dublin trilogy.” I come from the sa... Read more

In the following review of the London premiere of The Shadow of a Gunman, the critic focuses on O'Casey's dramatic technique, observing that the play's comedic overtones undermine... Read more

In the following essay, Armstrong compares The Shadow of Gunman with certain parts of the fourth volume of O'Casey's autobiography, revealing the significance of the personal element tha... Read more