Down the Nights and Down the Days

<p>This latest book from veteran O'Neillian Edward L. Shaughnessy examines the influence of the Irish playwright's Catholic heritage on his moral imagination. Critics due to O'Neill's early renunciation of faith at age 15 have mostly overlooked this presence in his work. While Shaughnessy makes no attempt to reclaim him for Catholicism he uncovers evidence that O'Neill retained the imprint of his Irish Catholic upbringing and acculturation in his work.</p><p>Shaughnessy discusses several key plays from the O'Neill cannon such as <i>Long Day's Journey into Night The Iceman Cometh</i> and <i>Mourning Becomes Electra</i> as well as the lesser-known<i> Ile</i> and <i>Days Without End.</i></p><p>Winner of the Irish in America Manuscript competition <i>Down the Days and Down the Nights: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility </i>is a compelling investigation into the psyche of one of the most brilliant internationally honored playwrights of our time.</p>