Dramatic Approaches to Creative Fidelity is a unique study of the work of Gabriel Marcel, a twentieth-century philosopher of international renown. This book brings a fresh perspective to the examination of Marcel's thought, highlighting facets that are sure to interest many different audiences. Dramatic Approaches to Creative Fidelity presents a clear exposition of the nature of creative fidelity, a central theme in Marcel's life and work. The distinctive contribution of this book, however, is its illustration of how theater and philosophy are complementary in Marcel's investigation and reflective clarification of life's existential questions. Each chapter of the book studies a play and a contemporary philosophic essay and examines how they relate to clarify a particular aspect of creative fidelity. Thus, this work communicates Marcel's understanding of the nature of creative fidelity, illustrates the relationship that links theater and philosophy, and demonstrates the important role theater plays in providing a privileged way into personal philosophizing. The principal aim of this book is to introduce English-speaking audiences to Gabriel Marcel's theater. The book also intends to suggest to students, teachers, scholars, and theatrical personnel the heuristic as well as the pedagogical advantages offered by an integrated approach that sees Marcel's theater and philosophy as essentially complementary.

Katharine Rose Hanley holds a Ph.D. from the Higher Institute of Philosophy, Louvain University, Belgium, where she first met Gabriel Marcel in 1955. She has been a professor of philosophy at Le Moyne College since 1961. In 1975, she became the director of the Gabriel Marcel Institute of Existential Drama at Le Moyne. Hanley has authored books and numerous articles on metaphysical topics and on aspects of Marcel's thought. She has lectured to national and international audiences, such as the International Gabriel Marcel Society in Paris and the Socit francaise de Philosophie at the Sorbonne. For several years, Hanley has been involved in translating and editing some of Marcel's thirty plays for English-speaking audiences and in producing some of these plays for stage and television.