菲利普·巴里(Philip Barry,1896-1949)在美国戏剧史上以继承欧洲绅士优雅喜剧之风,专意于研究婚姻问题而闻名。他成功地塑造了一批女性形象,她们出身名门然而厌倦上流社会的虚伪刻板的生活,厌倦拜金主义的物欲文化。她们在彷徨苦闷中渴望冲破重重阻碍,去追求个性独立、爱情幸福和艺术情趣。她们清丽、文弱、具有神经质。她们哀婉自怜的生命诉求,打动了观众,尤其是女性观众的心灵,也赢得一批敏感深沉的学者型剧评家的好评。巴里剧作不追求喧闹的喜剧效果,也很少使用讽刺、嘲弄等激烈的喜剧手段。机智、幽默的语言,抒情、风趣的风格,是巴里优雅喜剧的特点。 Philip Barry (1896-1949), famous in the history of American drama as a successor to the elegant comedy of European gentlemen, was deliberately studying marital issues. He succeeded in shaping a group of female images, well-known but nevertheless bored of the hypocritical stereotypes of high society, tired of the worship of the materialist culture of money worship. In despair, they are eager to break through obstacles and pursue independence, love and happiness. They are elegant, weak, with nervous. Their sorrowful self-pity of life appeal touched the hearts of the audience, especially the female audience, and won the praise of a group of sensitive scholar critics. Barry plays do not pursue noisy comedies, and seldom use violent comedy such as satire or mockery. Witty, humorous language, lyrical, funny style is the hallmark of Barry’s elegant comedy.