The only comprehensive guide to the plays of one of the world's greatest yet most puzzling contemporary dramatists, The Pinter Ethic penetrates the mystery of Harold Pinter's work with compelling and authoritative insights that locate and disclose the primal power of his drama in his characters' powerplay for dominance. With remarkable clarity, Penelope Prentice's close reading of Pinter's work untangles the multiple ambiguities, complex conflicts and contradictory actions which continue to baffle, bewilder, and confound critics and audiences. She reveals that Pinter's plays reflect not a vision of postmodern hopelessness in a world threatening to self-destruct, but provoke unguessed choice and action that enlarge the concept of love and link it to justice. Offering a definitive analysis of Pinter's work--from his early poetry, fiction, interviews, essays and novel The Dwarfs to his most recent play Celebration --Prentice demonstrates why Pinter's work can only be communicated through drama where attitude and intention may count for little, but where action is all.

About the Author

Penelope Prentice is Professor of English at D'Youville College. She is an award-winning poet and playwright whose works include Thriller, Michael Tyro, and How toSeduce Your Husband.

Reviews

"Penelope Prentice has written a penetrating vision of the Pinter mythos and entered the very human skin of the characters and plays of a profound body of work by one of the most important playwrights of our time." -- Lawrence Sacharow, OBIE Award Winner
"A refreshing approach to Pinter's technique." -- Ann C. Hall, Ph.D., President of the Harold Pinter Society, Ohio Dominican College
"Penelope prentice sees Pinter clearly and she sees him whole. Her book is an important contribution to Pinter studies." -- Michael Billington
"distinctive for its comprehensive attention to Pinter's work and its compelling argument for seeing in Pinter a positive vision of love and justice." -- Choice
"an important book [that] is likely to remain so for years...sets a standard of excellence against which all of the others will be measured." -- Cithara

Book Information
ISBN 9780815338864
Author Penelope Prentice
Format Paperback
Page Count 568
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 1050g