The Istoriaphile’s Corner

I nearly forgot I said this is a place to discuss, books, plays and short stories.  As long as I’m finally getting around to plays, I’d like to start out with a favorite: A Moon for the Misbegotten. Every person has life-changing experiences.  Some of these are obvious turning points like marriage or the death of a parent, some are not.  One of mine was a play I saw at age fifteen, a modern drama.  At fifteen, I couldn’t say why I identified with the characters or why it moved me so (other than it was a great performance) but the work and the author got under my skin for the rest of my adolescence.  It is still a singular piece though now I understand it a bit more.  It was written by Eugene O’Neill and it’s called “A Moon for the Misbegotten.” Few people outside of the theatrical world understand the impact of O’Neill but, to put it simply, he made American Drama human.  Theatrical plays written in this country before O’Neill were either broad comedies or melodramas.   I’m sure they were lots of fun to watch, containing virtuous heroes and dastardly villains but there was nothing an audience…