Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 2002. Vol. 8. Eger Journal of American Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 28)
Studies - Mária Kurdi: "Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain." On the Scholarly Heritage of Péter Egri (1932-2002)
The next book of Egri's on O'Neill, The Birth of American Tragedy from 1988 was written with the intention of introducing mainly university students to the evolution of the drama in America, including a critical summary of the various theories why the genre had come of age so relatively late there. Beginning to map its national history, the analysis of the unmistakably derivative but heroically accomplished pioneer work The Prince of Parthia (1759) by Thomas Godfrey in the first chapter qualifies as exceptional in that it revives a long-forgotten work for scholarship. On the other hand, this part of the book turns out to have a strategic function as well, it becomes the basis of further investigations and conclusions: Egri establishes a delicate balance of respect for something starting with Parthia though obviously still in the shadow of Shakespeare, and the necessary critique of this being not quite the right thing yet. The story of the difficult birth of the genre in America, however, leads from origins to maturity as well as originality: the last chapter in the book discusses O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, appreciating "the fusion of the epic, lyric and tragic" within the drama. Lending a firm structure to the analysis Egri distinguishes four types of conflict as they unfold among the characters, which affect the artistic approach and entail variations of style in the text in turn. As if intended to be Egri's personal celebration of the O'Neill centennial in 1988, with which its publication coincided, The Birth of American Tragedy also enjoyed an enthusiastic international reception. Michael Hinden for Comparative Drama introduces the book as an informed study, whose author, a "distinguished Hungarian scholar," is found well equipped to offer a history of the genre once the term tragicomedy enters his critical narrative. Concerning the chapter on Long Day's Journey , Egri is said to "demonstrate^] a patience for intricate linguistic notation that has no parallel in American commentary." About the usefulness of the book Hinden's summary runs as follows: "Students of O'Neill will be impressed with the book's thorough scholarship and intellectual sweep. The Birth of American Tragedy is a formidable resource whose gifts may be extracted by judicious skimming" (402-03). Frederick C. Wilkins, in The Eugene O'Neill Review , equally emphasizes the merits of Egri's both detailed and thoughtful discussion of Long Day's Journey, 24
