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1	Absent Characters as Proximate Cause in Twentieth Century American Drama Morrow, Sarah Emily 21 April 2009 (has links) This thesis explores the status of a specific subset of absent characters within twentieth century American drama. By borrowing the term “proximate cause” from tort law and illuminating its intricacies through David Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, this thesis re-appropriates proximate cause for literary studies. Rather than focus on characters whose existence remains the subject of critical debate, this set of absent characters presumably exists but never appear onstage. Despite their non-appearance onstage, however, these absent characters nonetheless have a profound effect upon the action that occurs during their respective plays. Highlighting the various ways in which these characters serve as the proximate cause for the onstage action of a given play will expand the realm of drama and literary studies in myriad ways. Waiting for Lefty Tort law Trifles Treatise of Human Nature Proximate cause Clifford Odets David Hume Glengarry Glen Ross Susan Glaspell American drama Absent characters English Language and Literature