The course is intended to provide an introduction to Pirandello, concentrating on his evolution from short-story writer to dramatist. We will focus on Pirandello’s relationship with the European theater (playwrights such as Ibsen and stage directors such as Piscator). We will also consider the ways in which the dramatist gives additional psychological depth to the characters that appear in his short stories. In addition, we will examine how Pirandello’s plays are also miniature psychodramas that reenact the dramatist’s own obsession.
