O'Neill Son and Playwright

Rating:
Summary: An Epic Biography
Review: Though Louis Scheaffer's study of America's greatest playwright, Eugene O'Neill, is, at over 480 pages of actual text, overzealous in its details, it becomes engrossing by the last several chapters, drawing O'Neill's childhood into his writings. Scheaffer links nearly every character, setting, and event featured in O'Neill's plays to one or another incident in his youth. This ties O'Neill to his writings, making his body of work seem more significant and his drama more powerful. The companion to "O'Neill: Son and Artist," this book should be read by anyone with an interest in the history of American Theater or Literature.