Weeks 5 and 6: The Glass Menagerie (1945)
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie
Things to consider as you read this play:
--What is the difference between reading a play and watching a play?
--Autobiography vs. literary creation?
--Who do you think is the main character in the play--Tom, Laura, or Amanda? Is there an antagonist in the play?
--Whom do you consider to be the least sympathetic character in this play?
--Generally plays do not have narrators. How does the fact that Tom is the narrator of the play he calls "a memory play" affect the style and content of the work?
--What do the characters of the absent Mr. Wingfield and the Gentleman Caller represent in this play?
--What speeches stand out in your mind?
--Consider the symbolism of the glass menagerie, the unicorn, the record player, the fire escape, and the movies.
--Compare and contrast Amanda Wingfield and Blanche DuBois of A Streetcar Named Desire.
For a review of a 2017 revival of The Glass Menagerie:
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/feb/12/the-glass-menagerie-duke-of-york-theatre-review-john-tiffany-kate-o-flynn
Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie
Things to consider as you read this play:
--What is the difference between reading a play and watching a play?
--Autobiography vs. literary creation?
--Who do you think is the main character in the play--Tom, Laura, or Amanda? Is there an antagonist in the play?
--Whom do you consider to be the least sympathetic character in this play?
--Generally plays do not have narrators. How does the fact that Tom is the narrator of the play he calls "a memory play" affect the style and content of the work?
--What do the characters of the absent Mr. Wingfield and the Gentleman Caller represent in this play?
--What speeches stand out in your mind?
--Consider the symbolism of the glass menagerie, the unicorn, the record player, the fire escape, and the movies.
--Compare and contrast Amanda Wingfield and Blanche DuBois of A Streetcar Named Desire.
For a review of a 2017 revival of The Glass Menagerie:
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/feb/12/the-glass-menagerie-duke-of-york-theatre-review-john-tiffany-kate-o-flynn