Readings on a Raisin in the Sun

by Kappel, Lawrence; Leone, Bruno; Szumski, Bonnie

• ISBN13: 9780737703689
• ISBN10: 0737703687
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-09-01
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr

Summary

Lorraine Hansberry's play is a psychological study of a working class black family on the south side of Chicago in the 1940s. This collection of essays explores the dominant characters and themes in the play and looks at its representation in various stage and screen adaptations.

Table of Contents

Foreword	10	(2)
Introduction	12	(3)
Lorraine Hansberry: Many Roles in a Life and Career Too Brief	15	(20)
Characters and Plot	35	(10)
An African American Play
A Celebration of Black Life	45	(11)
Steven R. Carter
Hansberry's Strategy for Racial Integration	56	(8)
Helene Keyssar
The Younger Family Is Black America	64	(10)
Julius Lester
The Female Aspect of the Play
Debunking the Myth of the Emasculating Woman	74	(4)
Sharon Friedman
Teachers of Manly Dignity and Pride	78	(7)
Anthony Barthelemy
A Feminist Perspective	85	(8)
Adrienne Rich
Character Studies
Walter as Tragic Hero	93	(8)
J. Charles Washington
Beneatha's Search for Identity	101	(4)
Brenda F. Berrian
The Contrast Between Lena and Ruth	105	(4)
Sheri Parks
Universal Themes in the Play
Fatalism and Idealism	109	(3)
David D. Cooper
A Family Drama	112	(5)
Tom Scanlan
Similar Themes in Hansberry and O'Casey	117	(5)
Peter L. Hays
The Psychology of Adjusting to Reality	122	(6)
George R. Adams
To Be Black, Female, and Universal	128	(6)
Margaret B. Wilkerson
The Play in Various Forms
Broadway, 1959: An Honest Play	134	(3)
Brooks Atkinson
Comparing the 1961 Film and the Unfilmed Screenplay	137	(14)
Margaret B. Wilkerson
The 1973 Musical Is Better than the Play	151	(3)
Clive Barnes
The 1989 Video Revival and the Restored Scenes	154	(8)
Robert Nemiroff
Chronology	162	(5)
For Further Research	167	(3)
Index	170