Tennessee Williams
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Revision as of 17:42, 20 July 2007 WikiSysop (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 11:18, 26 December 2007 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
- | '''Thomas Lanier Williams III''' ([[March 26]], [[1911]] – [[February 25]], [[1983]]), better known by the [[pseudonym]] '''Tennessee Williams''', was a major [[United States|American]] [[playwright]] and one of the prominent playwrights of the twentieth century. The name "Tennessee" was a name given to him by college friends because of his southern accent and his father's background in Tennessee. He won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]] for ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' in [[1948]] and for ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]'' in [[1955]]. In addition to those two plays, ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]'' in [[1945]] and ''[[The Night of the Iguana]]'' in [[1961]] received the New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards. His [[1952]] play ''[[The Rose Tattoo]]'' (dedicated to his boyfriend, Frank Merlo), received the [[Tony Award]] for best play. Genre critics maintain that Williams wrote in the [[Southern Gothic]] style.{{GFDL}} | + | '''Tennessee Williams''' ([[March 26]], [[1911]] – [[February 25]], [[1983]]) was an [[United States|American]] [[gay novel|gay]] [[playwright]] and [[screenwriter]] best-known for ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (play)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]'', ''[[Cat on a Hot Tin Roof]]'' and the film ''[[Baby Doll]]''. |
+ | ==The Work== | ||
+ | The "[[mad heroine]]" theme that appeared in many of his plays seemed clearly influenced by the life of Williams's sister Rose. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Characters in his plays are often seen as representations of his family members. Laura Wingfield in ''[[The Glass Menagerie]]'' was understood to be modeled on Rose. Some biographers believed that the character of [[Blanche DuBois]] in ''A Streetcar Named Just Desserts'' is also based on her, as well as Williams himself. When Williams wrote ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', he believed he was going to die and that this play would be his [[swan song]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Amanda Wingfield in ''The Glass Menagerie'' was generally seen to represent Williams' mother. Characters such as Tom Wingfield in ''The Glass Menagerie'' and Sebastian in ''Suddenly, Last Summer'' were understood to represent Williams himself. In addition, he used a lobotomy operation as a [[Motif (literature)|motif]] in ''[[Suddenly, Last Summer]]''. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'' included references to elements of Williams' life such as [[homosexuality]], [[mental instability]] and [[alcoholism]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{GFDL}} |
Revision as of 11:18, 26 December 2007
Related e |
Featured: |
Tennessee Williams (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was an American gay playwright and screenwriter best-known for A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the film Baby Doll.
The Work
The "mad heroine" theme that appeared in many of his plays seemed clearly influenced by the life of Williams's sister Rose.
Characters in his plays are often seen as representations of his family members. Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie was understood to be modeled on Rose. Some biographers believed that the character of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Just Desserts is also based on her, as well as Williams himself. When Williams wrote A Streetcar Named Desire, he believed he was going to die and that this play would be his swan song.
Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie was generally seen to represent Williams' mother. Characters such as Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie and Sebastian in Suddenly, Last Summer were understood to represent Williams himself. In addition, he used a lobotomy operation as a motif in Suddenly, Last Summer.
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof included references to elements of Williams' life such as homosexuality, mental instability and alcoholism.