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by Robert Walsh (Introduction by), John M. Synge (Author)
What differentiates this edition from others is-Three chapters presenting the two works of John M. Synge placed in the biographical and literary context of the author.-A chapter providing a detailed reading and analysis of the play Riders to the Sea.-A further chapter analysing the relation between the play and the prose work and how they interact.-The selection of passages from the Aran Islands aims at highlighting the relation between the play and the prose work.-Copious footnotes and a glossary of Anglo-Irish terms used in both works.-An ample bibliographyConsidered by many to be the masterpiece of the Irish playwright John M. Synge Riders to the Sea, a one act play, is a dense tragedy where the supernatural and spiritual dimensions interact and sometimes enter into conflict with stark realism. The primary inspiration for this play was Synge's stay on the windswept Aran Islands and the prose work, The Aran Islands, was the literary outcome of this experience. This edition of Riders to the Sea is published together with selected passages from The Aran Islands and has the aim of highlighting the relation between Synge's experience and the spirit of play. The one act tragedy Riders to the Sea and the prose work The Aran Islands are inseparable. The play cannot be fully understood without reference to prose work. They both breathe the same spirit, they complement each other; one was inspired by the other, one is a dramatization of the other. His experience on these islands allowed Synge to develop the necessary balance between inner experience and objective reality necessary for any work of art.The distinguishing characteristics of this edition are the three introductory chapters, ample notes and glossary. The first chapter places both works in their biographical and literary context. The second is a reading of the play drawing attention to the interplay of the natural and supernatural dimensions emerging from the creative use of symbolism overshadowed by a foreboding of death. The third highlights the relevance of the prose work to the play from both the spiritual and realistic dimensions of life.
