The Influence Of Tennessee Williams

by Kolin, Philip C.

• ISBN13: 9780786434756
• ISBN10: 0786434759
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-30
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

The author of A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was never shy about drawing on his personal and family drama for stage material. This collection of 15 essays examines how Williams's confessional style and subject matter in turn influenced a diverse group of American playwrights over the past six decades. Critical comparisons with William Inge, Edward Albee, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Beth Henley, Christopher Durang, Tony Kushner, and others reveal the complexity of his influence. A special feature of this collection is its emphasis on how Williams was received by African American dramatists, including Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, Adrienne Kennedy and Suzan-Lori Parks. The collection ends with an original interview with Edward Albee on why and how Williams influenced him.

Author Biography

Philip C. Kolin is a professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. He is the author or editor of 40 books, including seven on Tennessee Williams.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Preface	p. 1
Introduction: The Panoptic Tennessee Williams	p. 3
"[Our] Little Company of the Odd and Lonely": Tennessee Williams's "Personality" in the Plays of William Inge	p. 15
Neil Simon's Parodies of Tennessee Williams	p. 31
"Inconspicuous Osmosis and the Plasticity of Doing": The Influence of Tennessee Williams on the Plays of Edward Albee	p. 42
"Cracking the Shell of Literalness": The Itinerary of Paternal Consciousness in Williams's Tragedy with Notes on Its Influence on Gurney's Comedy	p. 55
"That gentleman with the painfully sympathetic eyes...": Re-reading Lorraine Hansberry Through Tennessee Williams	p. 68
The Fission of Tennessee Williams's Plays into Adrienne Kennedy's	p. 79
Warriors Against the Kitchen Sink: Tennessee Williams and John Guare	p. 95
Image, Myth, and Movement in the Plays of Sam Shepard and Tennessee Williams	p. 106
Sons of the South: An Examination of the Interstices in the Works of August Wilson and Tennessee Williams	p. 122
Williams, Mamet, and the Artist In Extremis	p. 136
The Symbiosis of Desire and Death: Beth Henley Rewrites Tennessee Williams	p. 148
"Period of Adjustment": Marriage in Williams and Christopher Durang	p. 162
"All Truth Is a Scandal": How Tennessee Williams Shaped Tony Kushner's Plays	p. 175
Twilight in Tennessee: The Similar Styles of Anna Deavere Smith and Tennessee Williams	p. 187
Theatre of the Gut: Tennessee Williams and Suzan-Lori Parks	p. 200
Swimming to Chekhovia: Edward Albee on Tennessee Williams - An Interview	p. 216
About the Contributors	p. 221
Index	p. 225
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