THE DIALECTICS OF INTERANIMATION: ELECTRA’S MYTH REVISITED BY O'NEILL IN THE INTERPRETATION OF ALICE VOINESCU
THE DIALECTICS OF INTERANIMATION: ELECTRA’S MYTH REVISITED BY O'NEILL IN THE INTERPRETATION OF ALICE VOINESCU

Summary/Abstract: My paper uses Steiner's theory of translation from After Babel to discuss the time-bound and culture specific changes that Electra's myth has undergone in O'Neill's appropriation as well as the particular resonance of his American trilogy in the Romanian cultural space of the 1940's. Seeking to understand the stakes and tragic depth of O'Neill's achievement, we find Alice Voinescu's contribution particularly relevant in the light of her preoccupation with Aeschylus' Oresteia as the perfect embodiment of the tragic spirit. The Romanian critic's generosity and insight validates O'Neill's "transfer of souls" from classical to modern times, proving that there were powerful elective affinities at work between the classical Greek, American and Romanian cultural spaces at a time when European culture at large was fascinated with the literary products of antiquity - Electra's tragedy being one of the most frequently revisited ancient narratives. Our analysis will place Voinescu's critical contribution in relation to other Romanian critical reactions to Mourning Becomes Electra from the same historical period, with a view to emphasizing the cultural differences at work within Romanian borders.

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