I've read it twice. I saw it performed once, on Broadway of all places. I would read it a thousand times, and then a hundred more. ( )

Reading this play makes me realize what some people feel like when reading or watching a Tom Stoppard play about math and science - a bit lost at times, as the scholarly language of someone else's specialty washes over you and you say Enough Already! This play about A. E. Housman sounded much more interesting than it is. It purports to be about his unrequited love for an athlete with whom he was friends in school, but in reality it appears to be much more about the field of literary criticism and reconstruction of ancient Greek and Latin texts. Many of the conversations feel much more like university lectures than dramatic action, but the introduction of Charon helps to add some interest. Unfortunately, there is very little Charon and a great deal of Oxford academics talking about why this or that translation from the Latin or Greek is more accurate. This is not the stuff of plays, though there were admittedly some very good lines at times, though not in keeping with what one would expect of Tom Stoppard. Overall, not a must read. ( )

I still wander through the world, whispering, "I would have died for you, but I never got the chance." I love Charon's puns, I love AEH's monologues, I love the conversation between AEH and Housman — all of which comes out even more in performance; the Broadway production with Richard Easton and Robert Sean Leonard was so good. ( )

A truly brilliant play that can't be fully appreciated from just reading it. It plays beautifully on stage, which is where it all really belongs. ( )

I had read this play a couple of years ago but was unable to finish it because of time constraints. However, I soon realized that I may have cast the book aside not because of time constraints but because the play was just not good! In fact, it has taken me almost a week to even write this review because I have been conflicted on how to describe it and how to phrase my reactions to the story.

The Invention of Love tells the life story of the poet A.E Housman as seen from his eyes after he has died and is traveling down the River Styx. He watches as scenes from his life are played out in front of him. Many include his professors and fellow scholars at Oxford University as they express their views of Housman. It soon becomes clear that Housman's life was complicated by his homosexuality. This is further clarified in the second act in which Oscar Wilde becomes a character in the play.

Though the plot seems simplistic, there are a great deal of underlying themes that make the play an interesting read. Stoppard litters the play with allusions to mythology and classical literature. Classical creatures such as Hades make various appearances as Stoppard connects mythological tales to Housman's life. It also explores the mythology of life and how people view their own lives as they live it as opposed to reflecting on it after the events have occurred. Stoppard allows Housman to talk to his younger self as well as the other characters in the play which creates an interesting tension and dynamic.

Despite Stoppard's quirky way of storytelling, there is no saving this play. The classical allusions come off as being bombastic and simply an excuse for Stoppard to brag of his knowledge on the subject. At times Housman's soliloquies are overblown and merely a lecture on mythology. The theme of homosexuality is nothing new or introspective and actually feels like a cheap trick used to "increase ratings" (as they do on television shows). Overall, I was under-whelmed. I was hoping for more mythology and less narcissism.

www.iamliteraryaddicted.blogspot.com ( )