The Cambridge Companion to American Women Playwrights (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

This volume addresses the work of women playwrights throughout the history of the American theater, from the early pioneers to contemporary feminists. Each chapter introduces the reader to the work of one or more playwrights, covering significant writers such as Rachel Crothers, Susan Glaspell, Lillian Hellman, Sophie Treadwell, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Megan Terry, Ntozake Shange, Adrienne Kennedy, Wendy Wasserstein, Marsha Norman, Beth Henley and Maria Irene Fornes, in the context of topics such as early comedy and melodrama, feminism and realism, the Harlem Renaissance and feminism. COVER......Page 1 HALF-TITLE......Page 3 SERIES-TITLE......Page 5 TITLE......Page 7 COPYRIGHT......Page 8 CONTENTS......Page 9 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 11 NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS......Page 12 PREFACE......Page 15 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 19 CHRONOLOGY......Page 21 1 PIONEERS......Page 41 1 Comedies by early American women......Page 43 NOTES......Page 58 2 Women writing melodrama......Page 59 NOTES......Page 70 3 Realism and feminism in the Progressive Era......Page 71 Feminism in the Progressive Era......Page 72 Domestic entrapments......Page 73 Women in the workforce......Page 77 Rethinking realism......Page 84 NOTES......Page 85 2 INHERITORS......Page 87 4 Susan Glaspell and modernism......Page 89 NOTES......Page 105 5 The expressionist moment: Sophie Treadwell......Page 106 NOTES......Page 121 6 Feminism and the marketplace: the career of Rachel Crothers......Page 122 NOTES......Page 136 7 The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement......Page 138 The self-help/mutual support tradition......Page 140 The creative environment......Page 141 The playwrights......Page 143 Sister playwrights......Page 154 NOTES......Page 156 8 Lillian Hellman: feminism, formalism, and politics......Page 158 NOTES......Page 173 9 From Harlem to Broadway: African American women playwrights at mid-century......Page 174 3 NEW FEMINISTS......Page 193 Giving voice to silenced women......Page 195 Merged egos and group protagonists......Page 198 Finding a feminist form......Page 203 Language and the body......Page 206 Realism vs. materialism......Page 208 The performative is political......Page 210 NOTES......Page 212 11 Feminist theatre of the seventies in the United States......Page 213 NOTES......Page 233 12 Contemporary playwrights/traditional forms......Page 235 NOTES......Page 251 13 Wendy Wasserstein: a feminist voice from the seventies to the present......Page 253 NOTES......Page 271 4 FURTHER READING......Page 272 Feminist critiques of drama, theatre, and performance......Page 274 Alice Childress......Page 276 Megan Terry......Page 277 Adrienne Kennedy......Page 278 Ntozake Shange......Page 279 Beth Henley......Page 281 NOTE......Page 282 15 Discovering and recovering African American women playwrights writing before 1930......Page 283 SOME COLLECTIONS HOLDING EARLY PLAY SCRIPTS AND RELATED MATERIALS BY AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN......Page 292 WORKS CITED......Page 293 INDEX......Page 312 COVER 1 HALF-TITLE 3 SERIES-TITLE 5 TITLE 7 COPYRIGHT 8 CONTENTS 9 ILLUSTRATIONS 11 NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 12 PREFACE 15 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 19 CHRONOLOGY 21 1 PIONEERS 41 1 Comedies by early American women 43 NOTES 58 2 Women writing melodrama 59 NOTES 70 3 Realism and feminism in the Progressive Era 71 The development of realism 72 Feminism in the Progressive Era 72 Domestic entrapments 73 Women in the workforce 77 Rethinking realism 84 NOTES 85 2 INHERITORS 87 4 Susan Glaspell and modernism 89 NOTES 105 5 The expressionist moment: Sophie Treadwell 106 NOTES 121 6 Feminism and the marketplace: the career of Rachel Crothers 122 NOTES 136 7 The Harlem Renaissance and the New Negro Movement 138 The self-help/mutual support tradition 140 The creative environment 141 The playwrights 143 Sister playwrights 154 NOTES 156 8 Lillian Hellman: feminism, formalism, and politics 158 NOTES 173 9 From Harlem to Broadway: African American women playwrights at mid-century 174 3 NEW FEMINISTS 193 10 Feminist theory and contemporary drama 195 Giving voice to silenced women 195 Merged egos and group protagonists 198 Finding a feminist form 203 Language and the body 206 Realism vs. materialism 208 The performative is political 210 NOTES 212 11 Feminist theatre of the seventies in the United States 213 NOTES 233 12 Contemporary playwrights/traditional forms 235 NOTES 251 13 Wendy Wasserstein: a feminist voice from the seventies to the present 253 NOTES 271 4 FURTHER READING 272 14 Contemporary American women playwrights: a brief survey of selected scholarship 274 Reclaiming the presence of women playwrights 274 Feminist critiques of drama, theatre, and performance 274 Critical reception of major women playwrights 276 Alice Childress 276 Megan Terry 277 Maria Irene Fornes 278 Adrienne Kennedy 278 Ntozake Shange 279 Marsha Norman 281 Beth Henley 281 Emerging playwrights 282 NOTE 282 15 Discovering and recovering African American women playwrights writing before 1930 283 ANTHOLOGIES OF PLAYS WRITTEN PRIOR TO 1930 BY AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN 292 SOME COLLECTIONS HOLDING EARLY PLAY SCRIPTS AND RELATED MATERIALS BY AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN 292 WORKS CITED 293 INDEX 312 This volume addresses the work of women playwrights throughout the history of the American theatre, from the early pioneers to contemporary feminists. Each chapter introduces the reader to the work of one or more playwrights and to a way of thinking about plays. Together they cover significant writers such as Rachel Crothers, Susan Glaspell, Lillian Hellman, Sophie Treadwell, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Megan Terry, Ntozake Shange, Adrienne Kennedy, Wendy Wasserstein, Marsha Norman, Beth Henley and Maria Irene Fornes. Playwrights are discussed in the context of topics such as early comedy and melodrama, feminism and realism, the Harlem Renaissance, the feminist resurgence of the 1970s and feminist dramatic theory. A detailed chronology and illustrations enhance the volume, which also includes bibliographical essays on recent criticism and on African-American women playwrights before 1930 This volume addresses the work of women playwrights throughout the history of the American theatre, from the early pioneers to contemporary feminists. Each chapter introduces the reader to the work of one or more playwrights, covering significant writers such as Rachel Crothers, Susan Glaspell, Lillian Hellman, Sophie Treadwell, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Childress, Megan Terry, Ntozake Shange, Adrienne Kennedy, Wendy Wasserstein, Marsha Norman, Beth Henley and Maria Irene Fornes, in the context of topics such as early comedy and melodrama, feminism and realism, the Harlem Renaissance and feminism