Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1981

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Pearce, Howard D.

Abstract

Not listening is essential in the evasion of reality. The plays of Edward Albee demonstrate various types of not listening and the debilitating effects of such behavior. The American Dream presents superficial listening and its inherent neglect of the meaning of words. A Delicate Balance explores the abortive listening which expels reality from one's communication. The Zoo Story exposes pseudo-listening, that complacent pretense of attention, and the subsequent ignorance of real communication. And Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? condemns negative listening and the inability or refusal to use input positively. In contrast to, and in conflict with, the non-listeners are those who do listen effectively and hence recognize both the nature of problems and their solutions. These listeners endeavor to break through the aural barriers of the others, forcing them to listen to, recognize, and deal with the reality they sought to evade.

Extent

92 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1981.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FADT14056

Format

pdf

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