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This Book Is In German. ... Read more

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In the stormy years before Ireland at last gained her independence a brilliant revival of Irish drama took place and culminated in the foundation of the Abbey Theatre in 1904. Of those who helped to create it - W. B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, the Fay brothers, and Miss Horniman - it was J. M. Synge as much as anyone who made the new Irish drama the force it quickly became in the theatres of the world. In his plays, as in the tragedy of classic simplicity, Riders to the Sea , or in his rich, tumbling comedy, The Playboy of the Western World , he succeeds more than any other dramatist inmiraculously distilling the Irish spirit. ... Read more

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PLAYS BY JOHN M. SYNGE PLAYS BY JOHN M. SYNGE LONDON GEORGE ALLEN UNWIN LTD MUSEUM STREET 1929 Copyright. J, M. Synge. 1904 Copyright. J. M. Synge. 1905 Copyright. John IVt. Synge. 1907 Copyright, Edward Synge and Francis Edmund Stephens. 1910 Printed in Great Bntain by brothers, Ltd.. Wohvng CONTENTS HE SHADOW OF THE GLEN p. 3 llDERS TO THE SEA 3 THE WELL OF THE SAINTS 55 THE TINKER S WEDDING 135 THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD 1 87 DEIRDRE OF THE SORROWS 297 THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN PERSONS IN THE PLAY DAN BURKE, Farmer and Herd. NORA BURKE, his ff fo. MICH AFX DA. RA 9 ayoung Herd. A TRAMP. SCENE The last cottage at the head of a long glen in County Wickfaw THE SHADOW OF THE GLEN Cottage kitchen turf - fire on the right a bed near it against the wall, with a body lying on it cohered with a sheet. A door is at the other end of the room, with a low table near it, and stools, or wooden chairs. There are a couple of glasses on the table, and a bottle of whisky as if for a wake, with two cups, a teapot, and a home-made cake. There is another small door near the bed. Nora Burke is moving about the room, settling a few things, and lighting candles on the table, looking now and then at the bed with an uneasy look. Some one knocks softly at the door. She takes up a stocking with money from the table and puts it in her pocket. Then she opens the door. TRAMP outside. Good evening to you, lady of the house. NORA. Good evening kindly, stranger it s a wild night, God help you, to be out in the rain falling, TRAMP. It is, surely, and I walking to Brittas from the Aughrim fair. THE SHADOW NORA. Is it walking on your feet, stranger TRAMP. On my two feet, lady of the house, and when I saw the light below I thought maybe if you d a sup of new milk and a quiet, decent corner where a man could sleep . . . he looks in past her and sees the dead man. The Lord have mercy on us all NORA. It doesn t matter any way, stranger come in out of the rain. TRAMP coming in slowly and going towards the bed. Is it departed he is NORA. It is, stranger. He s after dying on rne, God forgive him, and there I am now with a hundred sheep beyond on the hills, and no turf drawn for the winter. TRAMP looking closely at the dead man . It s a queer look is on him for a man that s dead. NORA Jialf - humorously . He was always queer, stranger and I suppose them that s queer and they living men will be queer bodies after. TRAMP. Isn t it a great wonder you re letting him lie there, and he not tidied, or laid out itself NORA comtng to the bed. I was afeard, stranger, for he put a black curse on me this morning if I d touch his body the time he d OF THE GLEN die sudden, or let anyone touch it except his sister only, and it s ten miles away she lives, in the big glen over the hill. TRAMP looking at her and nodding slowly . It s a queer story he wouldn t let his own wife touch him, and he dying quiet in his bed. NORA. He was an old man, and an odd man, stranger, and it s always upon the hills he was, thinking thoughts in the dark mist . . . She pulls back a bit of the sheet. Lay your hand on him now, and tell rne if it s cold he is surely. TRAMP. Is it getting the curse on me you d be, woman of the house I wouldn t lay my hand on him for the Lough Nahanagan and it filled with gold. NORA looking uneasily at the body. Maybe cold would be no sign of death with the like of him, for he was always cold, every day since I knew him . . . and every night, stranger . . . she covers up his face and comes away from the bed but I m thinking it s dead he is surely, for he s complaining a while back of a pain in his heart, and this morning, the time he was going off to Brit as for three days or four, he was taken with a THE SHADOW sharp turn... ... Read more

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With Drawings by Jack B. Yeats ... Read more

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Large Format for easy reading. Although from a middle-class Protestant background, Synge's writings are mainly concerned with the world of the Roman Catholic peasants of rural Ireland. He is best known for his play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots in Dublin. His experiences on the Aran islands were to form the basis for many of his plays, including The Shadow of the Glen, which tells the story of an unfaithful wife and was attacked by Irish nationalist leader Arthur Griffith as 'a slur on Irish womanhood'. ... Read more

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In 1907 J. M. Synge achieved both notoriety and lasting fame with "The Playboy of the Western World". "The Aran Islands", published in the same year, records his visits to the islands in 1898-1901, when he was gathering the folklore and anecdotes out of which he forged "The Playboy" and his other major dramas. Yet this book is much more than a stage in the evolution of Synge the dramatist. As Tim Robinson explains in his introduction, 'If Ireland is intriguing as being an island off the west of Europe, then Aran, as an island off the west of Ireland, is still more so; it is Ireland raised to the power of two'. Towards the end of the last century Irish nationalists came to identify the area as the country's uncorrupted heart, the repository of its ancient language, culture and spiritual values. It was for these reasons that Yeats suggested Synge visit the islands to record their way of life.The result is a passionate exploration of a triangle of contradictory relationships - between an island community still embedded in its ancestral ways but solicited by modernism, a physical environment of ascetic loveliness and savagely unpredictable moods, and Synge himself, formed by modern European thought but in love with the primitive.Amazon.com Review
Nothing much happens on the Aran Islands--at least, not muchwent on there in the late 19th century, when John Synge sailed out tothese mist-shrouded, salt-sprayed, and wave-battered chunks of rockssouth of Ireland.Therein lies the charm of the setting and of thislovely book, which captures the saltiness of both the marine air andthe time-lost characters, who deeply believe in the magical "weepeople." In cottages where nets and fishing tackle hang from beams,the women (who always wear red dresses and petticoats, as do some ofthe boys) sit at their spinning wheels or sew cow-skin sandals, whilethe fishermen spin yarns about fairies, sunken vessels, and bags ofgold gained from adulterous wives. The big happening of the year iswhen roofs are rethatched--an event that blossoms into a festival withtwisted rope stretching from kitchen table through lane to nearbyfield. Synge seems an ambassador from a different world: addressed as"noble person," he brings tokens of modernity--be they clocks orsimple magic tricks that beguile the locals. First published in 1907,this re-released travelogue gives a poignant peek into another timeand begs a visit to the Aran Islands to see how, or if, they havechanged. --Melissa Rossi ... Read more

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Another world
Not only does this book describe a time long past but Synge has a deeper sense of the psychology of the inhabitants of the Aran Islands and how it differs with that of "civilized" people of the time. Anyone who is interested in this topic and enjoys this book would do well to read Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O'Sullivan, which is a personal account by Mr. O'Sullivan of his life on Ireland's Great Blasket Island and is a wonderful, lyrical read that shows alot of humor as well as love for the natural world around him.

Stories in another tongue
This book describes the adventures of J. M. Synge on the Aran Islands around the turn of the Twentieth Century.William Butler Yeats suggested that Synge visit the island in order to learn Irish and become acquainted with traditional Irish culture as it had been preserved on the islands.Synge followed his suggestion, and made four lengthy trips to the islands.In this book, he recounts his experiences on the islands, together with some of the stories and poems that were recited to him there.

The book is a unique collection of travelogue, journal, and research notebook.Synge describes his relationships with individuals on the islands, as well as some of the common traits and customs observable there.He tells us about harrowing sea passages that he took from island to island in small rowed boats, and records a number of folk-tales that were shared with him by island residents.Synge was to draw on all of this material in his later writing career, making the book quite interesting for those who enjoy his plays.The book also provides informative details of what daily life was like in this remote region at the time.

Lively Reading
The search for authentic experiences is regarded as an important theme in postmodernism.John Millington Synge's book demonstrates that this quest for authenticity has been an important part of cultural inquiry for a long time.This wonderful book was written almost one hundred years ago, but it reads like a contemporary ethnographic inquiry.He provides vivid descriptions of daily life and wonderful presentations of the folklore of the Aran Islands.The book is primarily descriptive, but there are interesting textures and conclusions throughout Synge's writing.I would recommend reading this book and then watching Flaherty's film "Man of Aran."Follow up that visual feast with Stoney's "The Making of the Myth."To complete your excursion, top things off with a reading of Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" and "Riders to the Sea," two fine plays that he set on the Aran Islands.The stories, descriptions, and textures within Synge's book will become very clear when you're finished.

An Insight Into The Irish Soul
"The Aran Islands" is a delightful rendition of the experiences of J. M. Synge during his visits to the Aran Islands just over a century ago.Synge's journey had been encouraged by William Butler Yeats. "Go to the Aran Islands.Live there as one of the people themselves; express a life that has never found expression."Here Synge gained an insight into the Irish character which would enrich his later works.

The Aran Islands are a chain of islands off the coasts of Connemara and Clare.Isolated by the sea, the Arans, like the Galapagos in the natural world, preserve the language and customs of traditional Ireland.

The book is a narrative of what Synge saw and the stories he heard during his stays in the Arans, told by a master storyteller in the finest Irish tradition.The language is delightful, the stories are entertaining and the insight into the Irish soul is profound.A must read for any lover of the Irish.

I was named after the island
My dad was born there in the 1950's and i was named after it.not a bad place, not much to do but nice to visit.the book is informal but informative. ... Read more

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This book is an overlooked masterpiece by one of Ireland's best-loved writers. In it Synge captured the idiosyncracies of everyday speech better, perhaps, than any other Irish writer, while his eye caught the details of a way of life that has long since disappeared. First published in 1910, it is now available as a paperback for the first time, complete with the evocative illustrations by Jack B. Yeats-universally regarded as twentieth-century Ireland's greatest painter. ... Read more

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An excellent social history guide of early 1900s Ireland
This is a well-balanced and interesting book on the state of life in rural Ireland in the early 1900s.Mr. Synge and his illustrator, Mr. Jack B. Yeats travel through 3 counties, living off the hospitality of local residents.Mr. Synge seems to be great at eliciting views from everyone he meets.He has much knowledge of the governmental agencies that attempt to alleviate some of the worst hardships of the poorest counties in Ireland.He presents a very balanced view of the results of these efforts.In the process, he relates some great stories given him by his hosts.You can get a glimpse of some of the archaic speech patterns of the the times.I highly recommend this to anyone interested in social history.The artwork is also great. ... Read more

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The life and works of the 20th century playwright. Bibliography of his works, translations and unpublished manuscripts._"The book is an excellent corrective of all the personal stories and memoirs, autobiographies and impressions of those who themselves were actors in the tale. Here we get perspective into the story and justice. His book will be the starting place for all who write hereafter of Synge and desire a solid base on which to build their conception. But the book is more thant that. It is itself full of good criticism and alive with understanding." SATURDAY REVIEWILLUS.

THIS TITLE IS CITED AND RECOMMENDED BY:Books for College Libraries; Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature. ... Read more

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This file includes: The Aran Islands, Deirdre of the Sorrows, In Wicklow and West Kerry, The Playboy of the Western World, Riders to the Sea, The Tinker's Wedding, and The Well of the Saints. According to Wikipedia: "Edmund John Millington Synge (16 April 1871 – 24 March 1909) was an Irish playwright, poet, prose writer, and collector of folklore. He was one of the cofounders of the Abbey Theatre. He is best known for the play The Playboy of the Western World, which caused riots during its opening run at the Abbey theatre. Synge wrote many well known plays, including "Riders to the Sea", which is often considered to be his strongest literary work. Synge suffered from Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer at the time untreatable. He died just weeks short of his 38th birthday and was at the time trying to complete his last play, The Last Black Supper." ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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Synge was one of the key dramatists in the flourishing world of Irish literature at the turn of the century. This volume offers every one of his plays, which range from racy comedy to stark tragedy, all sharing a memorable lyricism.The introduction to this new, definitive edition sets the plays in the context of the Irish literary movement, with special attention to Synge's role as one of the founders of the Abbey Theatre and his work alongside W.B. Yeats and Lady Gregory. ... Read more

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THIS JANUARY 2009 REISSUE IS WORD FOR WORD THE SAME AS THE 1998 EDITION, WHICH COPIED THE 1995, ONLY THE COVER ART CHANGES
You really lose nothing in going for a used copy of the eleven year old edition, as it is exactly page for page, word for word the same all the way through, and with the same high quality one expects from the Oxford World Classics series.

Only the cover design is altered, but with the same painting in detail from Sean Keating's Dun Aengus. Most lamentably and most cruelly and most incomprehensibly, this series remains entitled not only Oxford World's Classics, but also Oxford ENGLISH Drama.

This is not English Drama, but Irish National Art, written for the Irish National Theatre directed by Mr. WB Yeats himself, with Lady Gregory in the Irish Renaissance of one hundred years ago. Upon these plays the Abbey Theatre thrived, and everyone involved, and all of the audience, all arise as one body to protest this misnomer.

This is not English Drama; 'tis Irish through and through.

This slander is like including Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney in an anthology of British Poetry.

But let that not dissuade you from this book, this National treasure, ably edited by Ann Saddlemyer in 1995. Her learned fourteen page introduction is comprehensive without being wearisome, and provides fully the background of these great plays. The note on the text indicates the plays are drawn from Ms. Saddlemyer's 1968 Oxford University Press edition, which she crafted from a close examination of every available draft and worksheet.

In the present edition (originally of 1995) she adds Explanatory Notes based most notably on Nicholas Grene's study of an Abbey Theatre promptbook and typescript presented in his 1982 CUA edition of the Synge play Well of the Saints, as well as other sources.

We have here therefore perhaps the most authoritative text now available of Mr. Synge's plays: Riders of the Sea, Shadow of the Glen, The Tinker's Wedding, The Well of the Saints, The Playboy of the Western World and Deifre of the Sorrows. Ms. Saddlemyer includes in her introduction ample background material for understanding the provenance of these powerful plays, and her generous explanatory notes well describe the main cultural aspects their lines imply.

Every student of Mr. Synge does very well to study this book. Every child of Ireland does very well to study Synge. Each human being hears herein their own heart.

Read this book well, alone, out loud, with friends, in any way you can, but read this book.

Saddlemyer, by the way, is the one who rented Synge's cottage to Poet Laureate Seamus Heaney while his family fled to exile from Belfast to Wicklow, in this cottage where Heaney crafted some of his greatest poetry.

Sounds Like Shakespeare
At one point in Ulysses, during a discussion of Shakespeare, Malachi Mulligan asks if Shakespeare isn't the fellow who sounds like John Millington Synge. That's a jab, but a friendly one. I don't think it's intended to be far off from the truth either.

I agree that reading these plays aloud is wonderful.

In a class I took, we read extended portions of "Playboy of the Western World".The class was busting, tearing up with laughter. The play is fall-over funny even if you're reading to yourself.

I just have to say though, that the plays are for performing.

A friend of mine and I did a scene as an acting exercise for a class she was taking--it was one of the scenes in which Christy courts Pegeen Mike--from "Playboy of the Western World". The audience--about 15 people--were spellbound. We looked out at dropped jaws.

This friend of mine and I did a competent job of acting. What blew the class away, really, was the ecstatic language and the infatuation one feels for the characters, their solidity, and the dramatic electricity between them... Lines from this bit come back to me, what? 20 years later? It's like music! The action goes from high tragedy to knockabout.

Well, it's what makes the Irish the Irish.

And the play's been just as good when others did it.

"Riders to the Sea" is like a religious ceremony, similar to the way that the plays of Aeschylus and Sophocles are. They use choruses to much the same effect. The action is ritualized and repetitive. Idealized characters utter formula phrases."Riders" sounds out some elemental terrain:it packs a deep sort of wallop.I'd love to see this performed.

Marvelous English theater!

Playboy of he Western World and other Plays, J. M. Synge
These are classic plays by Irish playwrite and poet John Millilngton Synge, with the attention to language and folklore that is typical of Synge. Best enjoyed by reading the plays aloud. ... Read more

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Edited by William E. Hart, this edition contains The Playboy of the Western World with Synge's own "Preface" and Riders to the Sea in one volume. Intended for performance and study, the plays are well annotated and the introduction includes discussions of the play's riotous reception and "The Irish Dramatic Movement." Also included are a list of principal dates in the life of J. M. Synge and a bibliography. ... Read more

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Champion of western Ireland - Extraordinary!
The paucity of reviews given to this edition of two of Synge's most famous works shows that his achievements have fallen victim to neglect. Its true that the worlds pictured in these two short dramas are couched in terms that are strange and unfamiliar to our contemporary, homogenized urban worldview. They hark back to a time and place in which local humanity was not defined by sociological stereotypes, but by the extremes of individuality and personality color activated by a difficult, at times harsh, yet beautiful natural environment.

The dramatic setting, of the western coast of Ireland, is unique and so, too, are the customs and attitudes of the players. But if we look beyond the piquancy of character personality, it can be seen they are ultimately motivated by the universal human attributes featured by more famous playwrights, such as Shakespeare.

It is this pungent Irish flavoring which seems to somewhat obscure the deeper, more general relevance of its themes. For instance the title of the first work, Playboy of the Western World, is ,in itself, probably enough to discourage prospective readers. To my mind, at least, it brings up a picture of some sort of frivolous farce. Though the play does perhaps have frivolous elements, that is a device which helps us to perceive the absurdity of behaviors which may be collectively accepted without question within a particular culture. In fact, "Playboy" in the vernacular of this group means "champion", and "the Western World" was western Ireland.

In this play Synge showed the polar aspects of the rural Irish peasant's love of bold and fantastic stories told in colorful, heroic language. While this full-toned perception of life has vibrancy and brilliance, it can lead toa concentration on the superficial and obvious, while ignoring the more realistic and sensible. But in this story of the local rise of a hero, his fall from grace, and subsequent rehabilitation, we see that most of the factors which caused these transitions of popular opinion were due to preconceived notions and prejudices inherent in the minds of the populace. Fickleness of public opinion, vanity , arrogance,, and loutish behavior as a perpetuated tradition are shown as the parodied underside of what is perceived by the locals as a grand, heroic, entertaining tale.

Many of Synge's contemporaries greatly resented this deflating view of Irish glamor, and actual riots took place where it was presented in Dublin. But it is nevertheless also a fact that the language of this play is lyrical, variegated and extremely expressive. The beauty of its imagery and the droll biting wit of its figures of speech enlarge the total experience of the story by bringing into our consciousness a much wider view of the place and people than what is contained merely in the plot.

"Riders to the Sea", the second play, is only a few pages in length. But in my opinion, it is a somber masterpiece which in those few pages conveys more about the harsh human struggle for existence which throughout history has been the common lot, than many novels of great length have accomplished.

In my recollections of these two plays, there are many scenes that stand out with clarity, and the craftsmanship of writing has left me with the impression that there was not a superfluous bit of dialog in either. These are strange stories in contrast to modern industrialized cultural habits and biases, and for that very reason I think that they are valuable not only as literary achievements but as a stimulus to see our own worldwith more perspective.

Important Play, Dry Read
It is undeniable that J.M. Synge was a very important Irish playwright of the early 20th century.These plays, especially, "Playboy of the Western World," are pivotal to Irish literature, and now, Irish culture.Any serious student of British drama, or actor should read both of these plays.

On the other hand, it may not be an ideal idea for someone that does not fall into one of those two catagories.The dialectic style is very thick, and at times difficult to understand."Playboy," an important (and early) Irish peasant drama is beautifully writen, but for a casual reader it would probably come off as a slow read that is not all that entertaining.

Important work from cultural and recent historical perspectives, but these plays are very dated and, as I mentioned, not the most entertaining read.

Great plays capturing the harshness of Synge's era
First off, I write in favor of the works of Synge; yet, I find it unfortunate that Amazon is not offering a better version than the Dover Thrift.Synge's symbolism will pull you in and embrace you and warm out tohis style.John Millington Synge was a lover of words and dialect, he evensays that he only used words that he heard being used in Ireland.Both ofthese plays are well written and full of symbolism.For the serious loveof Irish Literature or drama, J.M. Synge is a must.Read on... ... Read more

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A biographical study of Anglo-Irish writer J.M. Synge's character and literary work, including generous quotations and summaries of his unpublished writings. ... Read more

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Riders to the Sea is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by J. M. (John Millington) Synge is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of J. M. (John Millington) Synge then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more