Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-142) and index.

Throughout the twentieth century, artists have become increasingly concerned with the search for meaning in a fragmented, unfathomable world. In the plays of Harold Pinter, that search leads to a struggle for security through the control of territory and of people. By examining many of Pinter's major works, Cahn shows that this struggle often manifests itself in a gender battle, where men dominate the physical arena, but women control the emotional battleground. This disparity creates tension that is at once comic and unnerving. Most importantly, Pinter dramatizes how these gender differences are not social constructs but rather inherent qualities. The conflicts that arise from these innate values reflect our eternal quest for identify and, ultimately, meaning.

SACFinal081324