Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Faber and Faber
Pages
83
Description
Proofis the winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. One of the most acclaimed plays of the 1999-2000 season,Proofis a work that explores the unknowability of love as much as it does the mysteries of science. It focuses on Catherine, a young woman who has spent years caring for her father, Robert, a brilliant mathematician in his youth who was later unable to function without her help. His death has brought into her midst both her sister, Claire, who wants to take Catherine back to New York with her, and Hal, a former student of Catherine's father who hopes to find some hint of Robert's genius among his incoherent scribblings. The passion that Hal feels for math both moves and angers Catherine, who, in her exhaustion, is torn between missing her father and resenting the great sacrifices she made for him. For Catherine has inherited at least a part of her father's brilliance -- and perhaps some of his instability as well. As she and Hal become attracted to each other, they push at the edges of each other's knowledge, considering not only the unpredictability of genius but also the human instinct toward love and trust.… (more)
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2001-03-05
Physical description
83 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
0571199976 / 9780571199976
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member TanyaTomato
Short and sweet. Unrealized potential because family obligations have gotten in the way. Auburn really portrays the difficult time of dealing with an aging parent.
LibraryThing member cinesnail88
This is the play I'm doing for my final project and I am so glad I chose it. The strange juxtaposition of theatre with math makes this play very fresh and new. The relationship between Catherine and Hal was also a big selling point for me, as it reminds me infinitely of myself.
LibraryThing member ntempest
A fascinating, layered look into the lives of a brilliant mathematician and his mathematically gifted daughter. Despite the heavy role math plays in the story, there is very little actual mathematics involved in this play. Instead, Auburn addresses larger concerns that could refer to any subject
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matter: lost potential and the question of when it becomes too late to make certain choices in one's life; family and the cost of caring for loved ones to the detriment of one's own interests and progress; the fine line between grief and madness; aging and all of its potential for destroying a person long for they die. A poignant, involving play where the characters are always intriguing and real, even when they are not particularly lovable. Show Less
LibraryThing member shrew
Brilliant mix of math and life. If you've seen the movie, forget it and read the play instead (or go see a stage production). If you enjoy the television show Numb3rs, you'll enjoy this one too. Catherine is a compelling heroine because she is so flawed and so real, as are her relationships with
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her family. This play is a quick read that will stick with you. Show Less
LibraryThing member 391
This is a short but intense play, filled with wonderful scenes for acting classes (always a boon!). The characters - Catherine, especially - are compelling without being terribly likeable, which is always interesting to see in theatre. It reads more like a novel than a play, and Auburn's style is
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incredible. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ambrosia4
This has been one of my all-time favorite plays for a very long time. It may be because of the subject matter: mathematics and psychology. This is the story of a 25-year-old woman who is the daughter of a famous mathematician who went insane. She grapples with the question of her own sanity, her
I saw this play produced very well and the movie, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal, is also done particularly well (with a script written by the play's author and following the play closely with some very interesting changes due to the added flexibility of a film rather than a play). Auburn's poetic writing from the point-of-view of an insane genius is moving and magnificent. Catherine's character is wholly developed and realistic, being someone I could see being friends with.
If there is a production of this in your area, I encourage you to go! As a fine substitute, rent the movie. And above all, read Auburn's beautiful play!
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future, a new man in her life, and her prudent sister after her father's death. It brings up so many questions I've had for myself that it has always been easy for me to identify with it.I saw this play produced very well and the movie, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal, is also done particularly well (with a script written by the play's author and following the play closely with some very interesting changes due to the added flexibility of a film rather than a play). Auburn's poetic writing from the point-of-view of an insane genius is moving and magnificent. Catherine's character is wholly developed and realistic, being someone I could see being friends with.
If there is a production of this in your area, I encourage you to go! As a fine substitute, rent the movie. And above all, read Auburn's beautiful play!
Show Less
LibraryThing member Cariola
This is a reread for me as I'm teaching the play next week. It's a short, stunning play (it won a Pulitzer) about math, madness, and family dynamics. Catherine, a brilliant mathmetician, gave up her hopes of a college education and a career to care for her mathmetician father, who had "gone
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bonkers." Now she wonders if she is going down the same path, and her sister Claire's oversolicitousness isn't helping. After her father's funeral, his former student finds an impossibly brilliant mathmatical proof in the professor's notebooks. The question is: who wrote it? The play is sad, witty, and, yes, hopeful, all in one. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Catherine is the 25-year-old daughter of Robert, a brilliant mathematician who had a mental break down. She's struggling with her father's death and her fear that she could have the same mental instability. Robert's former student Hal believes that despite Robert's disease he might have come up
One of the reasons I've really enjoyed reading plays this year is the deep glimpse it gives readers into the author's intentions. For example, one stage direction in the play is...
(Beat. Morning-after awkwardness.)
Though the actors can demonstrate this, reading it tells you exactly what the playwright intended. This play is so well written and paced. It's one of my favorites I've read this year. It doesn't tell the reader everything upfront and you have to make your own assumptions with the info you're given.
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with another mathematical break through before his death. One of the reasons I've really enjoyed reading plays this year is the deep glimpse it gives readers into the author's intentions. For example, one stage direction in the play is...
(Beat. Morning-after awkwardness.)
Though the actors can demonstrate this, reading it tells you exactly what the playwright intended. This play is so well written and paced. It's one of my favorites I've read this year. It doesn't tell the reader everything upfront and you have to make your own assumptions with the info you're given.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JosephJ
Excellent play. Having seen older relatives deal with Alzheimer's disease it was quite an intriguing read.
LibraryThing member tibobi
The Short of It:
A past-paced, gripping play about young woman struggling with the recent loss of her father, the arrival of her uptight sister, and her own self-doubt over whether or not she’s sane.
The Rest of It:
Proof, a play by David Auburn is about a young woman named Catherine, who finds her
If the storyline sounds familiar to you, you might be remembering the movie which came out in 2005 and starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins. As far as adaptations go, the movie was actually pretty good.
I read the play for my Contemporary Lit class and I loved it. It’s filled with conflict and doubt and then there are the conversations that revolve around mathematics (might as well be a different language to me) but they were necessary and powerful in conveying the absolute brilliance of both father and daughter. The main question here is whether or not Catherine has inherited her father’s mental illness as well. Auburn does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing. It’s a quick read, only 96pp but as soon as I finished it I went right back and read it again.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a play but it was refreshing and broke up my reading rut. Reading it reminded me of all the drama classes I took in college. So much is left up to your interpretation and I sort of like being challenged that way.
After reading it, I saw the movie and it was really very good. The whole experience was a win-win.
A past-paced, gripping play about young woman struggling with the recent loss of her father, the arrival of her uptight sister, and her own self-doubt over whether or not she’s sane.
The Rest of It:
Proof, a play by David Auburn is about a young woman named Catherine, who finds her
Show More
sanity questionable after caring for, and losing her father to mental illness and heart failure. After spending the last few years frustrated and concerned over her father’s wellbeing and internalizing those feelings, she is suddenly thrust into society and forced to look at herself. We are invited into her world to feel as she does, vulnerable, fragile and completely unsure of herself.If the storyline sounds familiar to you, you might be remembering the movie which came out in 2005 and starred Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal and Anthony Hopkins. As far as adaptations go, the movie was actually pretty good.
I read the play for my Contemporary Lit class and I loved it. It’s filled with conflict and doubt and then there are the conversations that revolve around mathematics (might as well be a different language to me) but they were necessary and powerful in conveying the absolute brilliance of both father and daughter. The main question here is whether or not Catherine has inherited her father’s mental illness as well. Auburn does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing. It’s a quick read, only 96pp but as soon as I finished it I went right back and read it again.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a play but it was refreshing and broke up my reading rut. Reading it reminded me of all the drama classes I took in college. So much is left up to your interpretation and I sort of like being challenged that way.
After reading it, I saw the movie and it was really very good. The whole experience was a win-win.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ftownsend
If I counted correctly "F*CK" is used 19 times, "God Damm" around 6, and "Jesus" used as a swear word a few times too. It's sad because the basic story is rather good. It suggests if love is based on trust or sex or both what will result? And, what is the best way to handle mental illness? But,
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there is something else going on in this play. Does Mr. Auburn want to desensitize us to swearing? Does he want the playgoer to leave his values at the theater door as he mocks the God most Americans worship? How politically correct is this play? Well, just look at the awards given it!!! Show Less
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
A play dealing with mental illness and mathematics. The very idea sounds unworkable but it isn't. The mathematics are not explicated in great detail, and form sort of a silent extra character. The mental illness is more the subject of the play, and the idea of hereditary schizophrenia is touched on
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here, without any great depth or resolution. The final take home message almost seems to echo that of A Brilliant Mind, as though the writer's of the world were pointing an accusing finger at mathematicians and saying "Crazy!". So, should we ask ourselves, does math make people crazy? Or maybe the question is, do only crazy people love math? Or maybe there's something else altogether that has brought together this convergence of math and mental illness. An interesting play, and one that is worth the time to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member caseybp
A truly brilliant look at how genius and mental instability fall hand in hand. The play brings up the distress of creation and anxiety of work that is passionate yet not understood by the masses.
LibraryThing member The_Literary_Jedi
One of the first plays I read in college (05-06) and it was engrossing to see the line between madness and genius explored.
Awards
Pulitzer Prize (Winner — Drama — 2001)
Tony Award (Winner — Play — 2001)
New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (2000-2001)
Hull-Warriner Award (2000)
Outer Critics Circle Award (Winner — 2000-2001)
Call number
FIC E Aub