The author of A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was never shy about drawing on his personal and family drama for stage material. This collection of 15 essays examines how Williams's confessional style and subject matter in turn influenced a diverse group of American playwrights over the past six decades.
Critical comparisons with William Inge, Edward Albee, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Beth Henley, Christopher Durang, Tony Kushner, and others reveal the complexity of his influence. A special feature of this collection is its emphasis on how Williams was received by African American dramatists, including Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, Adrienne Kennedy and Suzan-Lori Parks. The collection ends with an original interview with Edward Albee on why and how Williams influenced him.

Philip C. Kolin is a distinguished professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he teaches drama. He has published more than 40 books and 200 articles.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments     

Preface     


Introduction: The Panoptic Tennessee Williams

Philip C. Kolin     

"[Our] Little Company of the Odd and Lonely": Tennessee Williams's "Personality" in the Plays of William Inge

Michael Greenwald     

Neil Simon's Parodies of Tennessee Williams

Susan Koprince     

"Inconspicuous Osmosis and the Plasticity of Doing": The Influence of Tennessee Williams on the Plays of Edward Albee

David A. Crespy     

"Cracking the Shell of Literalness": The Itinerary of Paternal Consciousness in Williams's Tragedy with Notes on Its Influence on Gurney's Comedy

Arvid F. Sponberg     

"That gentleman with the painfully sympathetic eyes...": Re-reading Lorraine Hansberry Through Tennessee Williams

Nancy Cho     

The Fission of Tennessee Williams's Plays into Adrienne Kennedy's

Philip C. Kolin     

Warriors Against the Kitchen Sink: Tennessee Williams and John Guare

Thomas Mitchell     

Image, Myth, and Movement in the Plays of Sam Shepard and Tennessee Williams

Annette J. Saddik     

Sons of the South: An Examination of the Interstices in the Works of August Wilson and Tennessee Williams

Sandra G. Shannon     

Williams, Mamet, and the Artist In Extremis

Brenda Murphy     

The Symbiosis of Desire and Death: Beth Henley Rewrites Tennessee Williams

Verna A. Foster     

"Period of Adjustment": Marriage in Williams and Christopher Durang

John M. Clum     

"All Truth Is a Scandal": How Tennessee Williams Shaped Tony Kushner's Plays

Kirk Woodward     

Twilight in Tennessee: The Similar Styles of Anna Deavere Smith and Tennessee Williams

Harvey Young     

Theatre of the Gut: Tennessee Williams and Suzan-Lori Parks

Harry J. Elam, Jr     

Swimming to Chekhovia: Edward Albee on Tennessee Williams-An Interview

David A. Crespy     


About the Contributors     

Index