The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Bald Soprano with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, a short play which makes us truly think about language and how we use it. The play focuses on two couples, the Smiths and the Martins, who are at the Smiths’ house for dinner. Through his skilful manipulation of language, with techniques including repetition, tautologies and wordplay, Ionesco makes it painfully obvious how little language actually means. It is therefore hardly surprising that the play was not received well when it premiered in Paris in 1950, and was only fully appreciated many years after Ionesco first wrote it. Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian-French playwright, who is widely known as one of the foremost figures of French avant-garde theatre. He died in Paris in 1994.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9782806296641

Book preview

French dramatist

Born in Slatina (Romania) in 1909.

Died in Paris in 1994.

Notable works:

The Lesson (1951), play

Rhinoceros (1959), play

Exit the King (1962), play

Born to a Romanian father and a French mother, Eugène Ionesco arrived in France when he was only a few years old and was made a French citizen in 1951. Although he was born in 1909, he always claimed he was born in 1912, to make himself out to be younger. His theatrical works (such as The Bald Soprano; The Lesson; The Chairs, 1952) left their mark on literature: today, he is one of the most performed French dramatists in the world. He wanted to make sure his works were understood, so he wrote many commentaries on them (such as Notes and Counter Notes, 1962; Fragments of a Journal, 1967). He was elected to the Académie française in 1970.

Ionesco was the leading figure of the Theatre of The Absurd, a new theatrical genre which rewrote the rules of classical theatre in the aftermath of the Second World War (1939-1945).

A disconcerting work from the Theatre of the Absurd

Genre: play

Reference edition: Ionesco, E. (1982) The Bald Soprano & Other Plays. Trans. Allen, D. New York: Grove Press.

1st edition: 1950

Themes: bourgeoisie, absurd, language

The short play The