Tennessee Williams  

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-'''Thomas Lanier Williams III''' ([[March 26]], [[1911]] – [[February 25]], [[1983]]), better known by the [[pseudonym]] '''Tennessee Williams''', was an [[United States|American]] [[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]]''.{{GFDL}}+'''Thomas Lanier Williams III''' ([[March 26]], [[1911]] – [[February 25]], [[1983]]), better known by the [[pseudonym]] '''Tennessee Williams''', was an [[United States|American]] [[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' 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.
 + 
 +Williams wrote ''[[Something Cloudy, Something Clear|The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer]]'' when he was 29 worked on it through his life. It seemed an autobiographical depiction of an early romance in [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]]. This play was produced for the first time on [[1 October]] [[2006]] in Provincetown by the [[Shakespeare on the Cape]] production company, as part of the First Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival.
 + 
 +''The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer'' will be published by New Directions in the spring of 2008, in a collection of previously unpublished plays titled ''The Traveling Companion and Other Plays,'' edited by Williams scholar Annette J. Saddik.
 +{{GFDL}}

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Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911February 25, 1983), better known by the pseudonym Tennessee Williams, 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' 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.

Williams wrote The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer when he was 29 worked on it through his life. It seemed an autobiographical depiction of an early romance in Provincetown, Massachusetts. This play was produced for the first time on 1 October 2006 in Provincetown by the Shakespeare on the Cape production company, as part of the First Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival.

The Parade, or Approaching the End of a Summer will be published by New Directions in the spring of 2008, in a collection of previously unpublished plays titled The Traveling Companion and Other Plays, edited by Williams scholar Annette J. Saddik.



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