@article{article_1049200, title={Reflections of Bergson’s Duration Theory on “Long Day’s Journey into Night”, “Death of a Salesman” and “The Glass Menagerie”}, journal={Karaelmas Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi}, volume={6}, pages={349–355}, year={2018}, author={Aksu, Elzem}, keywords={Zaman, Süre Kuramı, Amerikan Tiyatrosu, Amerikan Rüyası}, abstract={Throughout the history of thought, philosophers and thinkers have tried to understand and explain ’time’ in their own ways. Yet, the conventional concept of time -a chronometric, linear construct- had not changed much until the beginning of the twentieth century when the French philosopher Henri Bergson published his revolutionary ideas about ’time’. For Bergson, the previous thinkers’ explanations of time were unacceptable since they rated time with space and divided it into three distinct units the past, the present and the future. Challenging this long-established belief, he asserted that the past and the present are not different entities which succeed one another linearly. Instead, the past and the present intermingle with each other, according to Bergson. His attack on the traditional concept of time contributed to loss of trust of people living in the Modern Era in mechanic perception of time and paved the way for breaking the illusion of it in Europe. Later, his radical opinions reached America and enabled the American intellectuals to question their views on time. However, in America, the new time perception introduced by Bergson did more than just providing a new understanding of time. It also helped the breaking of another deception; the American Dream. Since the American Dream is closely related to the idea of progress, it can only be realized in a linear time sequence which was rejected by Bergson. Demonstrating the deficiencies of the linear concept of time, Bergson’s ideas also imply the meaninglessness of the American Dream. It is possible to find the marks of Bergson’s "duration theory" in the masterpieces of the American drama. Accordingly, in this article, it is aimed to analyse Bergson’s "duration theory" in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie investigating the characters Mary Tyrone, Willy Loman, and the three members of the Wingfield family; Amanda, Tom and Laura}, number={2}, publisher={Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit Üniversitesi}