Masterpieces of 20th-Century American Drama

American playwrights have made enormous contributions to world drama during the last century, and their works are widely read and performed. This reference conveniently introduces 10 of the most important modern American plays read by students. The dramatists represented include women and people of color, and their works frequently grapple with enduring social issues. An introductory overview of modern American drama begins the volume. Each of the chapters that follow is devoted to a particular work, including: Thornton Wilder's Our Town Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller's The Crucible Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Sam Shepard's Buried Child David Mamet's Glenngarry Glen Ross And August Wilson's The Piano Lesson. Each chapter provides a biography, a plot summary, a discussion of themes, major characters, and dramatic art, and a survey of the play's historical background and critical reception. The individual chapters cite works for further reading, and the volume closes with a selected, general bibliography.