1962: Ship of Fools to Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Purpose of this blog: Brief summaries of World, British and American literary classics for English majors.

1962: Ship of Fools to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Katherine Anne Porter. American. 1962. Ship of Fools. Allegorical account of a voyage from Vera Cruz to Bremerhaven in 1931. Voyage to eternity.

Luis Marin-Santos. Spanish. 1962. Novel. Time of Silence. Spanish society after the Civil War. Burlesques mythology of Church and sex. Scientist accused of death of woman who had abortion after incestuous relationship with her father. Cleared but dismissed from his job. His fiancée is killed by the girl’s boy friend. Goes to provinces to practice medicine, silent in a world in which there is no free choice.

Iris Murdoch. British/Irish. 1962. Novel. An Unofficial Rose. Elderly gentleman becomes widower, tries to return to his former mistress. Sets off chain-reaction of changing partners. Exercise of free will, however, is futile. Characters manipulated by circumstances and other self-interested persons. Qualifies existential idea of freedom.

Edward Albee. American. 1962. Play. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Virulent unveiling of relationship between history professor and his wife, daughter of the college president. Each character is engaged in an isolated struggle through a personal hell.