English 210
Long Day’s Journey into Night
Lecture 1:
Short character list:
- Drama is character and relationship driven
- Plot is sacrificed
Title:
- Literal meaning: events in play occur in singular day, begins in morning & progresses until
midnight
Setting:
- All scenes take place in same location: living room of Tyrones’ summer home
- Takes place from 8:30 am to 12 pm
- Day takes place in August 1912
- All scenes take place around meal times
August= autumn
- Season of decline, decay and
impending doom
Act 1:
Bookshelves:
Small bookcase between doorways (has portrait of Shakespeare above it):
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 210 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
, - Significance of naming authors bookshelf holds: is an illusion to different schools of thought
(romanticism, naturalism, realism)
Upper class Realities of middle &
Working class & criminal lower classes
classes
Focuses on underbelly of
society
Play focuses on addiction
and delinquency
Types of books contained:
- Philosophically questioning religion (Schopenhauer, Nietzsche)
- Politically theorists and social revolutionaries (Marx, Engels, Kropotkin, Stirner)
- New playwrights: socialism, women’s rights, human rights (Ibsen, Shaw, Strindberg)
- New poetry of 1890s “decadent” (Swinburne, Rossetti, Wilde, Ernest Dowson, Kipling)
Who does this bookcase belong to?
- Jamie & Edmund: implies that are interested in the matters presented in novels
- Shakespeare’s portrait: he provided inspiration for most of novels contained in bookcase
Glassed-in bookcase:
- Impression is that that volumes of books have been read countless times
Types of books contained:
- Romanticist and historical writers (Dumas, Victor Hugo, Charles Lever)
- Shakespeare’s works
- Books about the history of Rome, Ireland and England
- Variety of plays, poetry and novels in large volumes (in shabby condition)
Family Dynamics
Mary Tyrone:
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 210 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
, - Thin face does not match her body
- Pallor is striking
- Extreme nervousness is shown by the constant fidgeting of her hands
- Hair is a focal point: it is arranged with care initially, however a contrast is observed at the end
of the play
- Most favorable quality: her charm that reflects a sense of innocence
James Tyrone:
- Simple, unpretentious man
- Dresses informally
- Isn’t concerned with other peoples’ opinions of him
- Is hardly sick (in contrast with Mary)
- No nerves
(descriptions are framed in terms of comparison to their mother and father, as well as positives and
negatives)
Jamie Tyrone:
- Lacking vitality
- Described as already in decline, despite being 33
- Illusion to Mephistophelis: role is to be a tempter
- Charming personality
- Starting to fall apart because of his lifestyle
Edmund Tyrone:
- Possesses minor degree of nervousness that Mary does
- Extremely thin due to his declining health
After breakfast scene: Between Mary & James
- Affection shown
- Conversation about Mary’s weight: start of pattern shown where there is an attack, counteract,
attack and then withdrawal
- Open conflict but withdraw before it reaches a high point
- Mary wants to be in control and be aware of what her family members are doing
- Source of conflict: who receives money and how money is spent
- Mary’s tone changed from affectionately to acidly
- Ordinary comments have undercurrents of tension that set the tone for the play to unravel
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 210 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
Long Day’s Journey into Night
Lecture 1:
Short character list:
- Drama is character and relationship driven
- Plot is sacrificed
Title:
- Literal meaning: events in play occur in singular day, begins in morning & progresses until
midnight
Setting:
- All scenes take place in same location: living room of Tyrones’ summer home
- Takes place from 8:30 am to 12 pm
- Day takes place in August 1912
- All scenes take place around meal times
August= autumn
- Season of decline, decay and
impending doom
Act 1:
Bookshelves:
Small bookcase between doorways (has portrait of Shakespeare above it):
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 210 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
, - Significance of naming authors bookshelf holds: is an illusion to different schools of thought
(romanticism, naturalism, realism)
Upper class Realities of middle &
Working class & criminal lower classes
classes
Focuses on underbelly of
society
Play focuses on addiction
and delinquency
Types of books contained:
- Philosophically questioning religion (Schopenhauer, Nietzsche)
- Politically theorists and social revolutionaries (Marx, Engels, Kropotkin, Stirner)
- New playwrights: socialism, women’s rights, human rights (Ibsen, Shaw, Strindberg)
- New poetry of 1890s “decadent” (Swinburne, Rossetti, Wilde, Ernest Dowson, Kipling)
Who does this bookcase belong to?
- Jamie & Edmund: implies that are interested in the matters presented in novels
- Shakespeare’s portrait: he provided inspiration for most of novels contained in bookcase
Glassed-in bookcase:
- Impression is that that volumes of books have been read countless times
Types of books contained:
- Romanticist and historical writers (Dumas, Victor Hugo, Charles Lever)
- Shakespeare’s works
- Books about the history of Rome, Ireland and England
- Variety of plays, poetry and novels in large volumes (in shabby condition)
Family Dynamics
Mary Tyrone:
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 210 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
, - Thin face does not match her body
- Pallor is striking
- Extreme nervousness is shown by the constant fidgeting of her hands
- Hair is a focal point: it is arranged with care initially, however a contrast is observed at the end
of the play
- Most favorable quality: her charm that reflects a sense of innocence
James Tyrone:
- Simple, unpretentious man
- Dresses informally
- Isn’t concerned with other peoples’ opinions of him
- Is hardly sick (in contrast with Mary)
- No nerves
(descriptions are framed in terms of comparison to their mother and father, as well as positives and
negatives)
Jamie Tyrone:
- Lacking vitality
- Described as already in decline, despite being 33
- Illusion to Mephistophelis: role is to be a tempter
- Charming personality
- Starting to fall apart because of his lifestyle
Edmund Tyrone:
- Possesses minor degree of nervousness that Mary does
- Extremely thin due to his declining health
After breakfast scene: Between Mary & James
- Affection shown
- Conversation about Mary’s weight: start of pattern shown where there is an attack, counteract,
attack and then withdrawal
- Open conflict but withdraw before it reaches a high point
- Mary wants to be in control and be aware of what her family members are doing
- Source of conflict: who receives money and how money is spent
- Mary’s tone changed from affectionately to acidly
- Ordinary comments have undercurrents of tension that set the tone for the play to unravel
THIS IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF JENNA ROSE LOPES- DO NOT ILLEGALLY DISTRIBUTE.
(SUMMARIES MADE USING ENG 210 LECTURES FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA: INTELLECTUAL
CREDIT IS DUE TO THE LECTURERS OF THIS MODULE.)
