Pinter: A Study of His Plays

286 Pages·2022·53.768 MB·English

by  Martin Esslin

Routledge Revivals
Pinter
First published in 1977, the third edition of Pinter is an excellent analysis of
Harold Pinter and his works. Written when Pinter was only a few plays old,
the book draws on several sources, including interviews with Pinter himself,
to comment on Pinter’s career, his aesthetic and philosophical choices, and his
oeuvre as a writer. The section devoted to his individual plays has been
arranged in a chronological manner to visually represent the growth of the
playwright and the relationship shared between his early and later works.
Esslin, known for coining the term ‘theatre of the absurd,’ was himself an
inspiration to Pinter and hence, the book records an intellectual and creative
exchange between the author and his subject. The book will be of interest to
students of literature, drama, history as well as to an academically inclined
theatre audience.

Pinter
A Study of His Plays
Martin Esslin
I Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
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First published in 1977
by Eyre Methuen Ltd.
This edition first published in 2022 by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, NewYN10o0Yr1k7,
Routledge is an impotT&FGaibrnurhafrsaooiiynnrnumelnecfopsiassr, t
© 1970 , 1973 and 1977 by Martin Esslin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Publisher's Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points
out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.
Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes
correspondence from those they have been unable to contact.
A Library of Congress record exists under ISBN: 0413297403
ISBN: 978-1-032-32761-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-31658-9 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-32766-2 (pbk)
Book DOI 10.4324/9781003316589
Pinter
A STUDY OF HIS PLAYS
(Third, expanded edition)
by
MARTIN ESSLIN
Previously published under the title
The Peopled Wound: The Plays of Harold Pinter
EYRE METHUEN
LONDON

Contents
Illustrations4
Introduction6
Preface to the Second Edition9
Preface to the Expanded Edition10
1 Chronology of a Caree1r1
2 Background and Basic Premises32
3 Analysis56
Early Poetry 56 The Lover 131
The Room 60 The Homecoming 137
The Dumb Waiter 69 Tea Party 157
The Birthday Party 75 The Basement 162
A Slight Ache 87 Landscape 168
A Night Out 91 Silence 176
The Caretaker 94 Old Times 183
Night School 113 Monologue 189
The Dwarfs 117 No Man’s Land 191
The Collection 125 Sketches 201
Screenplays 204
4 Language and Silenceaa
5 Evaluation242
Bibliography253
Index263
Illustrations
plates between pages 190 and 191
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The photo of Harold Pinter on the front of the cover is by
Anthony di Gesù.