SOURCE: Gilbert, Reid. “Sharon Pollock.” In Profiles in Canadian Literature. 6, pp. 113-20. Toronto: Dundurn Press Limited, 1986.

In the following essay, Gilbert provides an overview of Pollock's plays, offers insights recurring themes and styles in her works, and comments on Pollock's evolution as a playwright.

Since 1974, when Walsh brought Sharon Pollock to national attention, critics have tended to generalize her work as documentary, seeing it as another example of a style which, in various expressions, has dominated Canadian theatre, particularly through the last fifteen years. In this view, her plays are often seen as examinations of historical evils or social issues, and her characters as merely representatives of historical factions, or spokespeople for sides in a debate. While it is true that much of her output can fit neatly into such a critical generalization, “it is clear (ten years down the road from Walsh), that this stereotype has become...