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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
 
 
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Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Set in darkness..." (more)
Key Phrases: portable bar, math department, Virginia Woolf, History Department, Hump the Hostess (more...)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

Price: $7.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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  Library Binding, July 9, 2008 $15.99 $15.99 --
  Paperback, December 31, 1997 $7.50 $2.95 $1.94
  Paperback, March 1, 1983 $7.99 $2.39 $0.01
  Mass Market Paperback, December 31, 1963 -- $44.81 $4.77
  Board book, December 31, 1977 -- $60.00 $0.01

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Customers buy this book with A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? + A Streetcar Named Desire
  • This item: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Albee can...be placed high among the important dramatists of the contemporary world theatre. -- New York Post

Play in three acts by Edward Albee, published and produced in 1962. The action takes place in the living room of a middle-aged couple, George and Martha, who have come home from a faculty party drunk and quarrelsome. When Nick, a young biology professor, and his strange wife Honey stop by for a nightcap, they are enlisted as fellow fighters, and the battle begins. A long night of malicious games, insults, humiliations, betrayals, painful confrontations, and savage witticisms ensues. The secrets of both couples are laid bare and illusions are viciously exposed. When, in a climactic moment, George decides to "kill" the son they have invented to compensate for their childlessness, George and Martha finally face the truth and, in a quiet ending to a noisy play, stand together against the world, sharing their sorrow. -- The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

Towers over the common run of contemporary plays. -- New York Times


Product Description

When Woolf debuted in 1961, audiences and critics alike could not get enough of Edward Albee's masterful play. A dark comedy, it portrays husband and wife George and Martha in a searing night of dangerous fun and games. By the evening's end, a stunning revelation provides a climax that has shocked audiences for years. With the play's razor-sharp dialogue and the stripping away of social pretense, Newsweek keenly foresaw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as "a brilliantly original work of art-an excoriating theatrical experience, surging with shocks of recognition and dramatic fire that will be igniting Broadway for some time to come."

Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Signet (March 1, 1983)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451158717
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451158710
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #276,944 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

44 Reviews
5 star:
 (35)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
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 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best modern plays, May 9, 2000
A play in three acts, a very simple setting, and only four characters who live in a small, university town in America: a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. And a "young and innocent" couple, Nick and Honey. They all meet in a room, in Martha and George's house, very late one night, for a nightcap. And then...all hell breaks lose.

The play tears apart both marriages: the middle aged couple, who seem to hate each other and in the end turn out to be much more devoted to each other as it would seem. The young, seemingly perfect couple, who turn out to have lots of problems of their own. In three heart-breaking scenes, using dialogue that cuts like a knife, Edward Albee has written a masterpiece. He manages to give a clear-cut, honest picture of the reality of marriage, the reality of love, and the fears that go hand in hand with love and intimacy. At some point, in act three, Martha talks about her husband- and it's probably one of the best pieces of literature I've read:

"...George who is out somewhere there in the dark...George who is good to me, and whom I revile; who understands me, and whom I push off; who can make me laugh, and I choke it back in my throat; who can hold me, at night, so that it's warm, and whom I will bite so there's blood; who keeps learning the games we play as quickly as I can change the rules; who can make me happy and I do not wish to be happy, and yes I do wish to be happy, George and Martha: sad, sad, sad."

What more can I say? just read the play, and if you get the chance, watch it performed in the theatre, too.

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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Communication Problem, May 13, 2001
By Ronnie Khoury (Arlington) - See all my reviews
Edward Albee truly explores and humiliates the human fallacy of communication and insecurity in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? with the use of repetition and a critical and satirical tone. In the play, Albee creates a tension between the two main characters of George and Martha. Throughout the play, Martha repeatedly sings "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Although this song correlates to the title of the play, it also contains a deeper and more stylistic purpose to it. It basically means "Who's Afraid of life without false illusions?" according to Albee. When Martha sings George this very song, she is really asking him if he can continue life without lying to himself, but rather be honest with himself and live with the truth. This repetition of questioning with the song creates the feeling of insecurity within the characters. It arrives to the question if they can really handle the situation. In another example of repetition, Albee repeatedly has the characters of George and Martha suspiciously talk of and mention about their son. The repetition of this illusion by these characters creates the fantasy, which they live by, and how they carry on with this fantasy to fulfill their happiness. This correlates to the problem of insecurity Albee wishes to create through the use of the characters. Not only does Albee use this repetition to carry out his philosophical views on human existence, but he also validates the communicable issues with the satirical and critical tone throughout the play. The satirical tones of the sick games the couples fancy during the play spark a disturbing appearance toward the characters and their disgusting communication. Albee truly makes a disturbing communication problem when Martha plays "Humiliate the Host". She picks and edges at George's weakest aspects and embarrassments. This satirical tone demeans the couple's communication as Martha humiliates her husband in front of the guests. These disturbing game shows the true disgust of the American society as Albee demonstrates. Not only does his writing open a new door for us to look in to, but it also helps to pinpoint our nation's problems. The use of the character's insecurities not only relate to Albee's purpose of demonstrating a couple's in ability to cope and deal with life, but it also deals with society's problems. The stylistic strategies of Albee aid in our discovery of his purpose in the play but also in society.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Beautiful Modern Drama, July 5, 1999
By A Customer
Looking past the rough language and the slew of verbal insults, one can see a sheer literary masterpiece. It wonderfully shows the struggle of George and Martha trying to come to terms with the reality they have created for themselves. When George discloses the secret of their son's nonexistence, he is forcing he and his wife to forfeit their mind games and live as functional human beings. By the way, in rebuttal, the title is absolutely perfect. Anyone with literary knowledge knows that Virginia Woolf was a realist who tried to present life as it truly is. Martha, at the end, is afraid of Woolf, or the symbol of life without pretenses.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece!
I bought this book out of curiosity because of the rave reviews. The dialogue was disjointed throughout the play and I cannot image any period in American history when people... Read more
Published 25 days ago by ruminator

1.0 out of 5 stars This is the most atrocious play ever created
Do anything you can to avoid reading or seeing this play seeing as it is the most horrible thing ever written.
It is not a masterful play in the slightest. Read more
Published 3 months ago by M. Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars Albee's Greatest Work
If you aren't famliar with Edward Albee, this play is a great way to introduce yourself. This play tells the tale of George (a professor) and his wife, Martha (the daughter of... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Kristyn

4.0 out of 5 stars Who's Afraid of Reality?
Edward Albee's modern masterpiece, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe?," has been played in theatres worldwide since it's stage debut. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sylviastel

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing and Invigorating
Boiling this play down into a short review is a loser's gamble. Critics have written huge books and only scratched the surface of the myriad of ways this play can be read. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Kevin L. Nenstiel

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tour de Force
I bought this because I keep on getting flashbacks of the play I watched, with the Kathleen Turner and gang revival. Read more
Published on September 6, 2007 by V. Liew

3.0 out of 5 stars Revision does no service to Nick and Honey
I was shocked to see that the new revision omits the end of Act II, "Walpurgisnacht". George and Honey have a key confrontation. Read more
Published on July 1, 2007 by Natalie

5.0 out of 5 stars grand American drama...
If you ever get the chance to see a live production of this classic American drama, run and get your tickets. You will not be disappointed. Read more
Published on May 30, 2007 by Kerry O. Burns

5.0 out of 5 stars Superlative Play, But Which Version?
I won't bother to go into how terrific a play this is (the five stars should indicate that), but having just seen the touring production with Kathleen Turner and Bill Irwin, I... Read more
Published on March 28, 2007 by John J. Schauer

5.0 out of 5 stars Marital discontent
We've all been there: writhing with discomfort as guests in someone's home because the host couple can't seem to stop arguing. Read more
Published on January 30, 2007 by Gregory Baird

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