this is a book of insight and imagination. it is a literary tour de force, where 28 irish plays are examined and their rich cultural context exposed in a way that educates and excites. to read anne o'reilly's analysis leaves one longing to return to theatre and to play. while the text is utterly readable, the ideas shared are profound.

the theme 'journey' is common in every play but it is explored from different angles; we glimpse understandings of the journey in search of soul, of self, of healing, of sacred meaning, of the possible, even of transformation.　

one of the captivating aspects of this book is that, while it's about plays and their stories, it also challenges the reader to rethink and re-imagine his/her own story. it is indeed a literary work of art. -ann louise gilligan

unlike the benevolent orphan found in charlie chaplin's the kid or the sentimentalized figure of little orphan annie, the orphan in postwar eastern european cinema takes on a more politically fraught role, embodying the tensions of individuals struggling to recover from war and grappling with an unknown future under soviet rule. by exploring films produced in postwar hungary, the german democratic republic, czechoslovakia, romania, and poland, parvulescu traces the way in which cinema envisioned and debated the condition of the post-world war ii subject and the "new man" of soviet-style communism. in these films, the orphan becomes a cinematic trope that interrogates socialist visions of ideological institutionalization and re-education and stands as a silent critic of the system's shortcomings or as a resilient spirit who has resisted capture by the political apparatus of the new state.

propuestas para (re)construir una naci n explores how emilia pardo baz n (1851-1921) imagines and engenders the spanish nation in her theatrical production staged and/or published between 1898 and 1909. in the aftermath of spain's colonial losses, when spain's male authors, in a growing mood of collective introspection, directed their attention to the homeland, pardo baz n generated a series of theatrical proposals to revitalize the nation. in her plays, she manifests her ideas about spain's fin de si cle crisis, reflects on spain's place in the international arena (emphasizing the nation's civilizing mission), critiques the intoxicating power of the so-called golden legend (spain's glorious past), and sees the origin of the nation's hardship in the lack of education of its inhabitants and in the inequality between men and women.

pardo baz n's vision of spain is forward looking, and she imagines a future in which new social configurations will be possible. instead of locating her plays in an ancestral castile, she situates several of her works in her native galicia. for the author, spain's regional issues are inseparable from the country's national issues and these can all be traced back to the woman question. the playwright appeals to the spectators/readers' reason and emotions in order to let them think and feel that the problems the nation faces can all be attributed to the spanish men. for pardo baz n, spain's potential for national regeneration resides in the inner strength of women.

in cross-fire with the main male players in the literary field of her time, pardo baz n offers her critique of national decadence in plays that cleverly subvert a broad range of by then outdated theatrical conventions, and that introduce the public to new currents of theatrical innovation (ibsen, maeterlinck, d'annunzio).

propuestas offers a new perspective on the participation of female authors in the contentious debate about the spanish nation. pardo baz n's theater is an overlooked area in the author's extensive creative production, and propuestas challenges the so often repeated topic of the backwardness of the spanish stage and the alleged lack of innovation during the fin de si cle.

propuestas para (re)construir una naci n explora c mo emilia pardo baz n (1851-1921) imagina y engendra la naci n espa ola en su producci n teatral finisecular que vio la luz entre 1898 y 1909. a la zaga de la debacle de 1898, cuando la introspecci n colectiva dirige la mirada de los autores hacia la patria, pardo baz n genera una serie de propuestas teatrales para revitalizar la naci n. en sus obras, expone sus ideas sobre la crisis finisecular, reflexiona sobre el lugar de espa a en la arena internacional (enfatizando su misi n civilizadora), critica el poder embriagador de lo que llama la leyenda dorada (el glorioso pasado espa ol) y ve la causa de los males de la patria en la falta de educaci n de sus habitantes y en la desigualdad entre hombres y mujeres.

en vez de enfocarse en el ayer, pardo se imagina un futuro en el que nuevas configuraciones sociales sean posibles. en lugar de ubicar sus obras en una castilla ancestral, sit a varias de sus piezas teatrales en su galicia natal. para la autora los problemas regionales son inseparables de los nacionales y los problemas nacionales son inseparables de la cuesti n de la mujer. la dramaturga apela tanto al raciocinio como a las emociones de sus espectadores/lectores para hacerles pensar y sentir que son los hombres los que constituyen el problema nacional. para pardo baz n la clave de la regeneraci n de espa a se encuentra en la mujer.

en fuego cruzado con los jugadores m's importantes del campo de producci n cultural de su tiempo, pardo baz n ofrece su cr tica de la decadencia nacional en unas obras que reciclan una serie heterog nea de materiales por aquel entonces anticuados que la autora combina de manera inteligente con formas inesperadas que introducen al p blico a nuevas corrientes de innovaci n teatral (ibsen, maeterlinck, d'annunzio).

propuestas ofrece una nueva perspectiva de la participaci n de las autoras femeninas en el contencioso debate sobre la naci n espa ola. dentro de la extensa producci n creadora de la autora, su teatro es un terreno frecuentemente pasado por alto y propuestas desaf a el tan trillado t pico del retraso de la escena espa ola y la supuesta falta de innovaci n durante el fin de siglo.