Ritual and Pathos—the Theater of O’Neill by Leonard Chabrowe (review)

80 Comparative Drama Leonard Chabrowe. Ritual and Pathos-the Theater of O'Neill. Lewis­ burg: Bucknell Univ. Press, 1976. Pp. xxili + 226. $11.50. The trouble with reviewing Leonard Chabrowe's recent book on O'Neill is that first you have to make an honest effort to read it, an agon­ izing ordeal for anyone who likes clear thinking and good writing. But more about that later; first a brief narrative: 1 ) When a review copy of Ritual and Pathos arrived at the editorial office of Comparative Drama in the spring of 1976, I dispatched it to a reviewer who returned it with bis comments. His conclusion: "Chabrowe knows little about O'Neill, less about drama, and bis little book is crammed with critical judgments that can only be called inanities at best. I do not wish to review it and question whether it should be reviewed at all." These observations were written by a good friend and one whose critical judgments I normally embrace. I concluded that I would make no further attempt to find someone to review the book and promptly forgot about it. 2 ) Sometime during the spring, 1977, I received a letter from Sibby Taylor, the promotion manager for Associated University Presses. I don't recall precisely what it said (I scratched a hasty reply on it and returned it to her) , but she essentially asked, "Why no review?" She acknow­ ledged that Ritual and Pathos bad received little critical attention and explained that the publisher needed information before further decisions could be made about promotion and sales-and in that context I replied, explaining that a reviewer found he could say nothing good about the book; I indicated that we had no further plans to review it. 3) Several weeks later, in a letter dated May 3, 1977, Leonard Cha­ browe wrote to me indicating that Ms. Taylor bad forwarded my reply to him: "And despite the impropriety of my getting involved . . . I thought I would respond, and to you directly rather than back through her." I was surprised, angry at first, but sympathetic. After all the poor fellow had spent twelve years trying to get his book published and here it was, more than a full year after publication; at least Cbabrowe knev.r be had a problem: "No one bas yet made clear what is original about my book or offered any specific arguments for or against." He also knew what he thought might be a cause of the problem: "It doesn't surprise me that an O'Neill scholar could find nothing good to say about the book since what I have to say about O'Neill is really quite controversial and bound to ruffi e a lot of feathers." Finally, be offered a partial solution somewhat desperately: because "I would much prefer a review that did justice to the controversial points I make," and "because you may never get the review copy back from that scholar, I am enclosing a list of all the scholars, critics, theater people and others who received copies from the publisher. Presumably they read the book or at least have it and would consider reviewing it." The list is extensive and includes almost fifty names, including Robert Brustein, Stanley Kauffman, Eric Bentley, Francis Fergusson, George C. Scott, Richard Gilman, Arthur and Barbara Gelb, Harold Clurman, Jose Quintero, Edwin W tlson, Lionel Abel, Walter Kerr, Jason Robards, Edward Albee, Kenneth Tynan, Doris Alexander, Martin Esslin, Doris Reviews 81 Falk Stillman, Albert Bermel, John Henry Raleigh, Louis Sheaff er, et al. By implication, Chabrowe's list names individuals who are all "well­ versed in O'Neill literature and without any vested interest in a particular point of view." And though his letter suggests that "Perhaps a theater scholar or critic, however, would be more interesting as a reviewer than an O'Neill scholar"-and Chabrowe recommends several-I can only assume that he would have been pleased if I had invited any one from the list to review his text. His letter concludes: "Again let me admit­ and this time apologize for-my impropriety." 4) I began to read Ritual and Pathos, but found many distortions and contradictions...