Eugene O'Neill and his eleven-play cycle

the long version

"From 1935 to 1939, Eugene O'Neill devoted nearly all of his creative energy to a vast cycle of plays that would trace the history of an American family through several generations. In showing the corrupting influence of material things upon its members, O'Neill would provide "a prophetic epitome for the course of American destiny." Quoting extensively from unpublished notes, outlines, scenarios, and drafts, and incorporating detailed plot summaries, this book tells for the first time the complicated story of the cycle project. It shows what the dramatist tried to do, how he went about it, and why in the end he failed."--BOOK JACKET.