Dr. Gargiulo concentrates on Italian playwrightEduardo De Filippo's philosophical journey fromneo-realism to existential query. She evaluates theplays most relevant to the development of hisphilosophy and the socio-political context in whichthey were written. The influence of Neapolitantraditional theater, along with that of LuigiPirandello, and his American contemporaries, ArthurMiller and Eugene O'Neill.