This is going to be rather an academic post for me, something I don't normally do. But I happened across this article from the Telegraph about Tennessee Williams.
The Glass Menagerie was the first play I read as an undergrad. And I got absolutely hooked on Tennessee Williams. I had a great professor who made the play so accessible. I started reading more of William's work and eventually did an independent study, with a very sexy title: Exhibitionism and Voyeurism in the Plays of Tennessee Williams.
Williams had an interesting, but rather sad, life. I highly recommend Lyle Leverich's biography, Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Williams. One of the most fascinating things I discovered while reading Williams is that he was much better at writing female characters than male characters. And even his female characters have such range: from the fierce Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to poor, fragile Blanche of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Williams' Notebooks are now available, edited and annotated by Margaret Bradham Thornton, from Amazon.com.
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3 comments:
I may re-read Williams now. I had a terrible English teacher in high school who ruined several authors, including Williams. Thanks for the recommendation.
Try starting with The Glass Menagerie. It's probably the most accessible; there are a lot of repeating themes that will be easy for you to pick up.
Are you suggesting that I am slow? :)
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