This PPT is prepared for Classroom presentations of MA Semester 2, presented at the Department of English, MKBU. This presentation contains the discussion about Eugene O'Neil's use of Naturalistic Dialogues in his Play titled 'Long Day's Journey into Night.'

1. Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji
Bhavnagar University.
Paper No. - 108 The American literature
Topic :- Eugene OʼNeillʼs use of
Naturalistic Dialogues in his Play :- “
Long Dayʼs Journey into Night.”
Prepared by :- Hetal Pathak

2. Presented by :- Hetal Pathak
Roll No. - 09
Enrollment No. :- 4069206420220022
Semester :- 2
Paper No. - 108
Paper name :- The American Literature
Paper Code :- 22401
Topic :- Eugene Oʼ Neill ʼs use of Naturalistic Dialogues in “ Long Dayʼs Journey Into Nightʼʼ
E- mail :- hetalpathak28@gmail.com
Submitted to :- Smt S.B. Gardi Department of English
Personal details :-

3. Table of Contents :-
Introduction
Brief Overview of
Eugene OʼNeillʼs life..
Definition of
Naturalistic
Dialogue and its key
Features
further Continue…
About the Play..
01
03
02
04
MAIN
POINTS
05 Significance of
Dialogues
06 Conclusion
Examples of
Naturalistic Dialogues
from the Play

4. ❖ An Overview of Eugene O’Neill’s life :-
❏ Eugene OʼNeill , in full name Eugene Gladstone OʼNeill was
born in the Year 1888.
❏ Foremost American dramatist and winner of the Nobel
Prize for literature in the the year 1936.
Being a Prominent literary figure he also received critics
through his Plays. His works analysed from various Points of
views not only in America but in the Parts of the World.(Singh)
His most of the Plays involve Tragedy and Pessimism.
The First Scholarly Biography of OʼNeill appeared in
1960sʼand was written by Doris Alexander. The book was
entitled ʻ The Tempering of Eugene OʼNeill.ʼ( Doris)

5. Continue…
Clifford Leechʼs Eugene OʼNeill is a brief and general introduction ,
Covering life and writings of him. He emphasizes that;
“ OʼNeillʼs Plays can be better understood if one is equipped with
the knowledge of his life and Circumstances. ”
His Masterpiece “ Long Dayʼs Journey into Night” is at the apex of a
long string of great Plays.
Oʼ Neillʼs Plays were Written from an intensely Personal Point of
view, deriving directly from the scarring effects of his Familyʼs tragic
relationships.

6. About the Play..
❏ ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ Play in Four acts by Eugene O’Neill
, Written 1939- 1941 , Produced and Published Posthumously in
the year 1956.
❏ The Play which is Considered an American Masterpiece, was
awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1957.
❏ Long Day’s Journey into Night is exactly that : long, and long
because endless and Painful , the day of the Play - 8:30 a.m. to
midnight.
❏ A day in the life of Tyrone's , a trip from day to night, both
Forward and backward suggest Play’s realism.

7. Continue…
In one Article by Beth Wynstra , Derron wood emphasized that ;
“ This Play depicts the Claustrophobic nature of the home, as
well as the character’s inability to escape the Problems of the Past,
Present and one another. ” (Wynstra)
It is a Story of one family and it shows the relationships of the
Parents and their sons with each other.
This Play widely considered to be his Magnum Opus and one of the
Finest American Plays of the 20th century.

8. Definition of Naturalistic Dialogue and its Key
Features:-
❏ According to Merriam Webster Dictionary of English Language :
“ Naturalism means an action , inclination or thought based
only on natural desires or Instincts.”
● Key Features :-
1. Naturalistic Dialogues often includes incomplete sentences,
Pauses and Interpretations.
2. The goal of naturalistic dialogue is to create a sense of
authenticity and immediacy.
3. Naturalistic dialogues are Pourposeful and driven by the
character’s motivations and desires.

9. Examples of Naturalistic Dialogues From this Play :-
Dialogue 1 :-
Mary :- I wish I could go back to the days when I was Young and Carefree. When I had my
whole life ahead of me.
Edmund :- You still have your whole life ahead of you, Mother. you’re not that old.
Mary :- Oh, but, I am Edmund. I am old and tired and sick. I will never be young and
carefree again.
Mary :- Oh, but I am Edmund. I am old and tired and Sick. I will never be young and
carefree again.
Dialogue 2 :-
Mary :- I naturally feel tired and nervous this morning, after such a bad night. I really
Ought to go upstairs and lie down until lunch time and take a nap.
James :- You do as you think best, Mary
Mary :- You know what I mean. You do not want me to. You never do.
James :- I didn’t say that
Mary :- You don’t have to. I know you don’t like me to. You always want me to stay
downstairs with you.

10. Significance of both the Dialogues :-
In both the Dialogues one can see Naturalism used
by Eugene OʼNeill in this Play. In Dialogue 1 Mary Tyrone
was Conversing with her son Edmund about her Past and
Younger days. she wants to go back towards the days when
she was very much young and Youthful and that is how she
expressed her thought and desire.
In second Dialogue also when she was doing Conversation
with her husband James. she wants to go upstairs and wants
to take some rest. But she felt that James donʼt like that thing
. So that is how In both the dialogues from the Play we can
see Naturalism through the dialogues between characters.

11. Conclusion :-
The Play - ʻ Long Dayʼs Journey into Nightʼ has the quality of Naturalism
evidenced by the unfolding Nightmares of realities of Tyrone Family life right
from the beginning to the end of the Play.Along with that In the ending Part of
the Play the way Mary went into her Past that shows her natural desire and
thought.

12. Works Cited :-
Doris, Alexander. The Tempering of Eugene O'neill. [1st ed.] ed. Harcourt Brace &
World 1962.
Wynstra, Beth. Review of Long Day's Journey Into Night. Eugene O'Neill Review,
vol. 33 no. 2, 2012, p. 309-312. Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/article/484885.
Gelb, Barbara and Gelb, Arthur. "Eugene O’Neill". Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Feb.
2023,
https://www.britannica.com/biography Eugene-ONeill. Accessed 13 March 2023