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    Look Back in Anger (Performed in 1956 and Published in 1957)

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    Wungreiyon moinao
    The document summarizes the Angry Young Men literary movement in British literature that emerged in the 1950s in response to social conditions after World War II. It was coined to describe plays like John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger, which portrayed lower-middle class, university-educated men who angrily criticized postwar British society. Other key representatives included Kingsley Amis, John Wain, John Braine, and Alan Sillitoe, whose works depicted disillusioned young men dissatisfied with social inequality and conventional values. Though short-lived, the movement had a profound impact on British literature in its criticism of established norms.

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    Look Back in Anger (Performed in 1956 and Published in 1957)

    Uploaded by

    Wungreiyon moinao
    506 views3 pages
    The document summarizes the Angry Young Men literary movement in British literature that emerged in the 1950s in response to social conditions after World War II. It was coined to describe plays like John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger, which portrayed lower-middle class, university-educated men who angrily criticized postwar British society. Other key representatives included Kingsley Amis, John Wain, John Braine, and Alan Sillitoe, whose works depicted disillusioned young men dissatisfied with social inequality and conventional values. Though short-lived, the movement had a profound impact on British literature in its criticism of established norms.

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    Angry Young Man

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    The document summarizes the Angry Young Men literary movement in British literature that emerged in the 1950s in response to social conditions after World War II. It was coined to describe plays like John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger, which portrayed lower-middle class, university-educated men who angrily criticized postwar British society. Other key representatives included Kingsley Amis, John Wain, John Braine, and Alan Sillitoe, whose works depicted disillusioned young men dissatisfied with social inequality and conventional values. Though short-lived, the movement had a profound impact on British literature in its criticism of established norms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    506 views3 pages

    Look Back in Anger (Performed in 1956 and Published in 1957)

    Uploaded by

    Wungreiyon moinao
    The document summarizes the Angry Young Men literary movement in British literature that emerged in the 1950s in response to social conditions after World War II. It was coined to describe plays like John Osborne's 1956 play Look Back in Anger, which portrayed lower-middle class, university-educated men who angrily criticized postwar British society. Other key representatives included Kingsley Amis, John Wain, John Braine, and Alan Sillitoe, whose works depicted disillusioned young men dissatisfied with social inequality and conventional values. Though short-lived, the movement had a profound impact on British literature in its criticism of established norms.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 3

    Look Back in Anger (performed in 1956 and published in 1957)

    By John Osborne ( December 12, 1929, London, England—December 24, 1994, Shropshire)

    ANGRY YOUNG MAN :

    The term ‘Angry Young Men’ was coined by the Royal Court Theatre’s press officer to promote
    Look Back in Anger, a 1956 play by the then-unknown playwright John Osborne.

    The Second World War left a tumultuous impact on the civilization. The post-World War II era
    was essentially characterized by depression and anxiety as the postwar reforms failed to meet
    exalted aspirations for genuine change. This very desolate prospect is also evident in the
    literature of the 20th century. These adverse impacts of World War II helped to create several
    new traditions in literature. One such movement made its way in the early 1950s. This radically
    new age was labelled as the Angry Young Men Movement. The literature of this age chiefly
    represented a rebellious and critical attitude towards the postwar British society. The “angry
    young men” comprised a group of English novelists and playwrights, mostly having lower-
    middle or working-class, and university background. The label “angry young men” is assumed to
    have borrowed from Leslie Paul’s autobiographical book Angry Young Man (1951). After
    critical acclamation of Osborn’s play Look Back in Anger, the British Newspapers employed the
    label to encapsulate the mode and temperament of this group of writes.

    Characteristics

    The major characteristics of the Angry Young Men Movement are as follows:

    Revolt against Social Inequality: A major concern in Angry Young Men Movement writings is
    the dissatisfaction of the lower-class towards the established socio-political system which
    inequitably valued the middle and the upper classes.

    Criticism of Mannerism: Literature of this age fiercely criticises the hypocrisy of the middle and
    the upper classes.

    Portrayal of Social Status of Youth: Another frequent subject in this age is the depiction of abject
    position of the youth in society. The writers often portrayed the central hero being disillusioned
    with the life and dissatisfied with their job and a society where he is unfit and deprived of normal
    rights.

    Revolt against conventionality: Angry Young Men literature strongly revolted against all the
    accepted norms and ideals.

    Unconventional Hero: Typically the hero is a rootless, lower-middle or working-class male


    psyche with a university degree. He expresses his dissatisfaction towards social ills with
    excessive anger and sardonic humour. He often indulges into adultery and inebriation to escape
    from complexities of life. In fine, he is the very epitome of a frustrated post-World War II
    generation.

    Chief Representatives

    The chief representatives of the Angry Young Men Movement are as follows:

    John Wain (1925–1994)

    Wain, John, English poet, novelist, and critic, who portrayed the repressions of society in lively
    comic situations. He is assumed to have showed Angry Young Men temperament in his first
    novel Hurry on Down (1953). It is a comic picaresque story about an unsettled university
    graduate who sought to reject the standards of conventional society.

    Kingsley Amis (1922–1995)

    Amis, Kingsley, English novelist, whose works undertake a humorous critical survey of the post-
    World War II British society. Amis's first novel was Lucky Jim (1954), which according to many
    reflects the Angry Young Men temperament. This particular book influenced a number of British
    playwrights and novelists, including John Osborne and Alan Sillitoe. Therefore, many critics
    believe that like Wain, Amis was also an early Angry Young Men writer.

    John Osborne (1929–1994)

    Osborne, John, English playwright and motion picture screenwriter, whose plays enact sharp
    criticism of post-World War II British life through outbursts of abusive language. It was
    Osborn’s debut play Look Back in Anger (1957) that made the Angry Young Men Movement
    authoritatively established. In this sense, John Osborne was the most fortunate literary artist to
    have an age started on the basis of a single literary work.

    John Braine (1922–1986)

    Braine, John, English novelist, who attacked outmoded social values left over from the prewar
    world. His most notable work is Room at the Top (1957), a novel exemplifying the various
    concerns of the post-World War II generation. The novel tells the story of a young working-class
    man trapped into a marriage with the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

    Alan Sillitoe (1928–2010)

    Sillitoe, Alan, English novelist and poet, whose brash and angry accounts of the working-class
    life showcased the spirit of the Angry Young Men Movement. He is best known for his first
    novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1958). It tells the story of a rude and amoral young
    factory worker for whom drink and sex on Saturday night provide the only relief from the
    oppression of the working life.
    This literary Movement brought a fresh concept which was totally complied with the then socio-
    political context. Though lasted only for a short span of time, it exerted a profound impact in the
    field of British literature. This dominant literary movement ended by the early 1960s.

    Look Back in Anger

    Three Acts

    Jimmy Porter- Alison Porter

    Cliff Lewis

    Helena Charles

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