Margaret Edson's "Wit"

Paper Summary:

This paper traces the ordeal of Dr. Bearing, distinguished scholar of 17th-century metaphysical poetry, from her diagnosis of ovarian cancer through her treatment under the watchful eye of Dr. Kelekian, as depicted in Margaret Edson's play "Wit." This paper analyzes Edson's stage production which is rich with word play, inter-textual gestures and most importantly, with irony. "Wit" is built primarily on the complex ironies available through the dramatic strategy of role reversal. The writer of this brief yet concise paper details the plot and main characters of the play.

From the Paper:

"This clearly delineated division in Donne's corpus of work reflects Dr. Bearing's own divided self. On the one hand a scholar of renown, she is a woman who has essentially turned away from her own body, relegating social life and personal relationships to a place of minor importance in her life. Without partner, lover, or even close friend, Bearing is, despite her claims to the contrary, negligent in her scholarship, unable and unwilling to even attempt to reconcile Dr. Donne (the spiritual) with John Donne. Ironic, too, is the fact that, in the end, the scholarly lover of the intensely spiritual poems is, like all patients in the ward, a prisoner of a body ravaged by cancer, a body that suffers and fails, and a body that can and does overwhelm even the strongest mind and strongest spirit."

More papers on Margaret Edson's "Wit":

• Book Review # 120003 : "Review of Margaret Edson's "Wit"
• Film Review # 143078 : "An Examination of "Wit" and Life Support"
• Analytical Essay # 135834 : "The Film "Wit"

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