The purpose of this thesis is to present a general analysis of the basic stylistic and thematic elements of the works of Jorge Diaz, a contemporary Chilean playwright. The emphasis is on understanding the mechanisms of his style and their interrelations with the basic themes. The first section--"Comentario general"--is a bibliographic and biographic introduction to Diaz, his works and the milieu in which his formation as a playwright has taken place. One important factor that is underlined here is that Diaz' first work was first performed less than twelve years ago (1961); therefore, the approach to his works must take into consideration the fact that his style of writing is not by any means completely formed. The main three chapters constitute a cumulative and comparative analysis of three specific plays. Their production spans a period of six years (196 1 -1967), affording a good cross section of the variations which can be seen in Diaz' style. More important than the variations, however, are the elements which remain constant, and, in an overall perspective, constitute the real characteristics of Diaz' style. Each chapter begins with a brief resume of the plot of the specific play being considered. From there each moves into an analysis of the structure of the plot, followed by an analysis of the form of the dialogues and method of characterization. The final section of each chapter deals with the general overall nature of the play and its themes. The last chapter of the thesis is a brief resume of the findings of the three main chapters. The major points of interest that the analyses reveal are, briefly, these: Diaz' works can be loosely classified among the theatre of the absurd; the element in his plays that shows the least change is the style of his dialogue which makes consistent use of double entendre and irony; the themes of his works reveal a definite preference for social criticism as shown by his consistent use of social archetypes rather than well-rounded individuals, except for the protagonists. The basic conflict of each play generally deals with a sensitive, subordinate individual who must struggle for his very existence against the attempts of an insensitive world to destroy his individuality. The least constant element of Diaz' style is the structure of his plots which range from a nearly realistic chain of cause and effects in one play, to the very loosely cohesive structure of a play whose action proceeds in a spiralling manner back and forth between fantasy and reality. Altogether, these elements emphasize that Jorge Diaz is a socially conscious author greatly concerned with the status of the individual. He has a definite tendency to experiment with various contemporary approaches to the expression of this theme in creative and sometimes innovative ways. / Arts, Faculty of / French, Hispanic, and Italian Studies, Department of / Graduate