The Bald Soprano

The Bald Soprano
Author: Eugène Ionesco
Publisher: Grove Press
Total Pages: 116
Release: 2006
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780802143181

Often called the father of the Theater of the Absurd, Eugène Ionesco wrote groundbreaking plays that are simultaneously hilarious, tragic, and profound. Now his classic one acts The Bald Soprano and The Lesson are available in an exciting new translation by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Tina Howe, noted heir of Ionesco's absurdist vision, acclaimed by Frank Rich as "one of the smartest playwrights we have." In The Bald Soprano Ionesco throws together a cast of characters including the quintessential British middle-class family the Smiths, their guests the Martins, their maid Mary, and a fire chief determined to extinguish all fires -- including their hearths. It's an archetypical absurdist tale and Ionesco displays his profound take on the problems inherent in modern communication. The Lesson illustrates Ionesco's comic genius, where insanity and farce collide as a professor becomes increasingly frustrated with his hapless student, and the student with his mad teacher.

Irony and the Modern Theatre

Irony and the Modern Theatre
Author: William Storm
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2011-05-05
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 1139499424

Irony and theatre share intimate kinships, not only regarding dramatic conflict, dialectic or wittiness, but also scenic structure and the verbal or situational ironies that typically mark theatrical speech and action. Yet irony today, in aesthetic, literary and philosophical contexts especially, is often regarded with skepticism - as ungraspable, or elusive to the point of confounding. Countering this tendency, William Storm advocates a wide-angle view of this master trope, exploring the ironic in major works by playwrights including Chekhov, Pirandello and Brecht, and in notable relation to well-known representative characters in drama from Ibsen's Halvard Solness to Stoppard's Septimus Hodge and Wasserstein's Heidi Holland. To the degree that irony is existential, its presence in the theatre relates directly to the circumstances and the expressiveness of the characters on stage. This study investigates how these key figures enact, embody, represent and personify the ironic in myriad situations in the modern and contemporary theatre.

Rhinoceros, and Other Plays

Rhinoceros, and Other Plays
Author: Eugène Ionesco
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
Total Pages: 158
Release: 1960
Genre: Conformity
ISBN:

In Rhinoceros, as in his earlier plays, Ionesco startles audiences with a world that invariably erupts in explosive laughter and nightmare anxiety. A rhinoceros suddenly appears in a small town, tramping through its peaceful streets. Soon there are two, then three, until the "movement" is universal: a transformation of average citizens into beasts, as they learn to move with the times. Finally, only one man remains. "I'm the last man left, and I'm staying that way until the end. I'm not capitulating!"

A Study Guide for Eugene Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano"

A Study Guide for Eugene Ionesco's
Author: Gale, Cengage Learning
Publisher: Gale, Cengage Learning
Total Pages: 36
Release:
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1410340848

A Study Guide for Eugene Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.

Amédée

Amédée
Author: Eugène Ionesco
Publisher:
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1958
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco (Book Analysis)

The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco (Book Analysis)
Author: Bright Summaries
Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
Total Pages: 22
Release: 2017-05-24
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 2806296641

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Bald Soprano with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, a short play which makes us truly think about language and how we use it. The play focuses on two couples, the Smiths and the Martins, who are at the Smiths’ house for dinner. Through his skilful manipulation of language, with techniques including repetition, tautologies and wordplay, Ionesco makes it painfully obvious how little language actually means. It is therefore hardly surprising that the play was not received well when it premiered in Paris in 1950, and was only fully appreciated many years after Ionesco first wrote it. Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian-French playwright, who is widely known as one of the foremost figures of French avant-garde theatre. He died in Paris in 1994. Find out everything you need to know about The Bald Soprano in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: • A complete plot summary • Character studies • Key themes and symbols • Questions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

The Bald Soprano, and Other Plays

The Bald Soprano, and Other Plays
Author: Eugène Ionesco
Publisher: Grove Press
Total Pages: 164
Release: 1982
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 9780802130792

Four original plays by French author Eugène Ionesco.

Use of Language by Eugene Ionesco in His Works "The Chairs" and "The Bald Soprano"

Use of Language by Eugene Ionesco in His Works
Author: Danish Suleman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 20
Release: 2016-11-04
Genre:
ISBN: 9783668331532

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject English - Literature, Works, language: English, abstract: This paper deals with the language used by one of the most famous modern writers EUGENE IONESCO (1909-1994), in his plays, The Chairs and The Bald Soprano. Ionesco is the writer whose sense of literature is incorporated with the experiences he gained from his life and the observations that he made in society and people around him. The usage of language in his works we can say, to some extent, is quite similar to other modern writers who motivated their thoughts and writing skills to write in an absurd manner and portray the extreme level of absurdity of humans and worlds in their works. But as every writer is having their own way of flourishing their works, through plot, character, dialogues and scenes and so on, Ionesco too had his way of presenting the levels of absurdity in the society. His technique was 'Language'. He is often called a Man of Anti-Theatre, because of his presentation of language as an impossible means of communication. The paper will present these points briefly and will focus on the two above mentioned texts in detail.