Aspies For Freedom

This thread is for those who have an interest (personal or professional) in English Literature.




Just to get things started, recently I read the neo-absurdist play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" by Edward Albee. I found it to be rather complex, and the insistence on the "gaming" theme was a real nod toward the absurdities of social events; also, the interesting dichotomy of History and Biology defines quite a few things in the play. I found myself categorizing which characters, at which points in time, are making reference to the Historical, or the Biological. Of course, in the end, there's a nod to both (which I won't disclose, in case somebody wants to read or see the play).

I've seen the film if that counts, I took a very different perspective. I didn't see anything about history or biology.
I saw it as being about the dynamics of the main couples relationship.

History and biology were mainly textual cues to the main plot - *SPOILERS* highlight to reveal



The "son" of Martha and George. Sterility, infertility, impotence, hysterical pregnancy, all of these are biological factors resulting in the inability of either couple to have children. However, history signals to those events that surround the biological determination (which is the point of all the "games" which tell often hurtful stories about the past).


Though the dynamics of relationships is definitely a main part; the engine of the play, if you will.

I watched Edward Albee's "The goat or who is Sylvia", a rather controversial play. I thought it dealt quite innovativlely with the concept of being "different" and accepting difference. Any thoughts?

I have never seen it. What did it deal with specifically?

I recently finished reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and I confess that I didn't particularly enjoy it. It just seemed to be about a bunch of unpleasant, often violent, people arguing a lot and marrying their cousins. I found myself wishing that some brash New York therapist or self-help author like Ellen Fein or Sherrie Schneider would just breeze in and say: "You need to get out more! Get away from this part of Yorkshire and DON'T CALL HIM!"

Can any of you Eng lit experts help me see the light?

"I found myself wishing that some brash New York therapist or self-help author like Ellen Fein or Sherrie Schneider would just breeze in and say: "You need to get out more! Get away from this part of Yorkshire and DON'T CALL HIM!"
:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

And another thing - why does Heathcliff want to marry (Miss) Cathy Earnshaw? Surely as they were brought up together that would be classed as incest?