Dialectic of Two Cultures: Edward Albee, C. P. Snow, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as Dramatized Epistemology

Abstract

Abstract:Since its publication and first performance, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962) has often been interpreted with regard to the theme of truth and illusion. A less studied but nonetheless important aspect of the play concerns its relation to C. P. Snow’s concept of the “two cultures.” This article argues for the convergence of these two discussions, resulting in an epistemological understanding of Albee. The play not only rejects of the mutual alienation of the “two cultures” but also constitutes a dramatic move toward a synthesizing “third culture.” Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is read as an epistemological drama of ideas.