The Pirandellian Grotesque : A Re-Assessment

Contents: Preface. 1. The Pirandellian feel. 2. Irrational as Leit Motif. 3. Arrested time and personality warp. 4. Grotesque as theatre metaphor. 5. Dramaturgic disintegration of self. References. Bibliography.

"The present book traces Pirandello's grotesque and his preoccupation with the distressed human psyche. Employing experimental stagecraft and juxtaposing it with cerebral exercises and cold logic the Italian playwright situates on stage on aberrant and irrational dimension of the human mind. His mastery over dramaturgic stagecraft helped him in negotiating these dark and mysteries mental areas. The book probes into four major plays of Pirandello to illustrate the dramatists' theatre strategies." (jacket)