The Story Archive

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Mike Nichols · 1966 CE · Film · Modern / American · Contemporary

A history professor and his wife come home drunk from a faculty party at two in the morning, and she announces that she has invited a new biology teacher and his wife over for a drink. Across the rest of the night the older couple play games with names, using their guests as instruments and circling a son neither will describe plainly. Released without a Production Code seal, it forced the ratings system that replaced it.

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Attributes

Genre
TragedyPsychologicalTragicomedy
Theme
Appearance vs RealityMadnessBetrayalGuilt & ConscienceLove
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Anti-HeroTricksterEveryman
Plot structure
Single DayDialogueIronic Reversal
Symbol / motif
The Game / CardsThe HouseThe Mask
Conflict
vs Personvs Self
Mode / tone
RealistIronicTragic
Culture / tradition
Modern / American

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