Conventions in the XXth Century Drame (Augustus Strindberg and Eugene O'Neill)
Literatūra August 25, 2025 Galina Baužytė
Dramatic conventions in 20th-century drama must be understood through their relationship to the general conventional nature of art and the specific features of the dramatic genre. The article examines conventions used by Strindberg and O'Neill to depict spiritual phenomena and the conscious and subconscious mind. Strindberg's "A Dream Play" uses symbolic images and disconnected episodes to convey dream logic and shifting spiritual states. O'Neill's plays employ masks, an "alter ego," and "asides" to reveal psychological disharmony. Both playwrights sought to expand traditional dramatic forms to explore the complex inner world of contemporary man.