Wit: A Play by Margaret Edson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Wit: A Play
Book Review: Beaut;ful
Summary: 5 Stars
Edson does what so few modern playwrights are able to do- she reinforces a satiric look at her subject with solid characters that draw the reader into the story. The play is further strengthened by clever dialogue and brilliant symbolism (the projection of Donne's poem onto Dr. Bearing's body, and the semicolon, for example), thus creating a lovely synergy of all aspects of great dramatic writing, and leaving the reader (or viewer) moved to his/her emotional limit. W;t will serve not only to entertain, but also, as with all good literature, to make the reader want to go back and discover more and more meaning each time he/she experiences the play.Book Review: Book better than TV version.
Summary: 5 Stars
I had previously only seen the TV version with Emma Thompson. But here's how New Yorker magazine described the TV version: "Anyone who makes the effort to transfer a play to TV runs the risk of focusing excessively on plot and dialogue and of failing to catch the elusive nonverbal elements in his butterfly net. This is what happened with the TV version of `Wit'... Most of the deliberately self-conscious stage devices, which were integral to the play, and necessary to give full dimension the main character, were gone, and the TV version became largely a story about an interesting woman dying of cancer".Even though the TV version was excellent, the book version was better. I strongly recommend the book to anyone who's only seen the TV version.
Book Review: Brevity is the soul of W;t
Summary: 5 Stars
As a physician and sometimes poet, I enjoyed W;t tremendously. Edson knows physicians better than many of them know themselves. Like her main character (not to mention her doctors), too many physicians are heartlessly rational despite the possibility for real and necessary human connection. Her ability to weave the poetry of Donne seamlessly into a story of a woman suffering from terminal cancer adds deeper meaning to both the poetry and to the conception of illness and death. In what amounts to just a few words, this play works very well on many levels. It is truly a rare treasure. The final scene alone speaks volumes about what is wrong with medicine today with one unforgettable image. Congratulations, Ms. Edson, you have created a masterpiece.Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
Six years ago, when I was living in San Francisco and attending high school, a friend of my family's took us all to see a production of 'Wit' because it was making a highly anticipated debut there after a run in New York. I remember this experience not because I thought that the play was good, but because it had made me so uncomfortable. I just didn't get it; perhaps I was too young. Last week I found myself in a bookstore, browsing for a new read, when I stumbled upon a lone copy of this book on the shelf. I skimmed through it and was intrigued by the play. I bought it and gave it another chance, and I am so glad that I did. Frankly, I was stunned by how beautiful -- and sadly truthful -- Margaret Edson's play is. Perhaps its that in the years since I saw "Wit" performed I have had a cancer scare in my family, and have seen a lot of what she has captured in her play firsthand. Whatever the reason, I could no longer deny the power of the story because it made me uncomfortable to think about such things. I would highly recommend this play: it says so much about humanity, fear, loss, regret, and life in under a hundred pages -- truly an incredible feat. It would take most writer's at least double that to say half of what Edson conveys so easily.Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
Reading plays is somewhat of an art.Most plays are not nice to read since dialogue will usually feel flat and stage directions usually leave a lot to the imagination of both actors and directors, requiring additional concentration to picture what is really going on.
Wit is one of those plays that is a pleasure to read even for anyone not used to read them. Part of this is that Wit is mainly a big monologue that tells us the current predicament of the main character while still giving us small glimpses of her previous life.
And unlike so many works in these days and age, it is also a play that has something to say. As One Flew Over The Cookoo's Nest was a sharp criticism on mental institutions, so will Wit remain a real slap in the face for modern medicine and hospital care. And alas... something will unfortunately ring true no matter what country you live in.
I did not have the chance to see the Mike Nichol's adaptation with Emma Thompson, so I cannot say how it compares.