Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Philadelphia Here I Come! - Critical
Context
- The critical context is suggested by the two thematic interpretations of the play
- It is at once part of a long traditional coming-of age play
- The subject of leaving home is emotional enough, and the melancholy
music of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto only underscores this
sentimental thrust.
- Towards the end of the play Gar and SB reveal significant memories
that they cannot share with each other, the mood is very moving.
- However, Friel rises above sentimentality by his exploitation of comedy.
- Private's satiric commentary along side moments of pure slapstick helps
keep the play from becoming maudlin.
- It is also a part of the experimental movement of the 1960s.
- The nonrealistic method of presenting one character with two
actors helps to dispel the sentimentality which comes from the
story
- Some say that it is the familiarity of the story that allows the experimental technique to work
- The tension between the familiar, sentimental plot and the highly
experimental technique emerged as the decisive factor in creating
the play's commercial and critical success