The latest book from veteran O'Neillian Edward L. Shaughnessy, Down the Nights and Down the Days: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility examines a major aspect of the playwright's vision: the influence of his Catholic heritage upon his moral imagination. Critics, aware of O'Neill's early renunciation of faith at the age of fifteen, have been inclined to overlook this presence in his work.However, Shaughnessy does uncover evidence that O'Neill retained the impress of his Irish Catholic upbringing and acculturation. Shaughnessy advances this analysis with examples from the O'Neill canon, including several of the key plays (Long Day's Journey into Night, The Iceman Cometh, Mourning Becomes Electra), as well as some of the lesser-known works (Welded and Days Without end).Down the Nights and Down the Days: Eugene O'Neill's Catholic Sensibility offers a fresh and thought-provoking look at the life and work of this nation's most internationally honored playwright.