Tennessee Williams''s "A Streetcar Named Desire"

"A Reader''s Companion to Tennessee Williams''s ''A Streetcar Named Desire''" is designed to assist the student as well as the scholar in studying this venerable American play. The book includes an introduction to "Streetcar" and Williams''s work in general; a listing of all Williams''s plays and screenplays, in addition to a chronology of his writing of "Streetcar"; a timeline of significant historical and cultural events surrounding the writing and production of the play; a description of the characters in "Streetcar" and a synopsis of its action; explanatory notes to accompany any reading of the play; an essay on the biographical context, bibliographic history, chief theatrical productions, and film-and-television versions of "A Streetcar Named Desire"; production reviews of the play and the film of "Streetcar"; a survey of criticism on "Streetcar"; and production credits of the original 1947 production of the play and of its 1951 film version. In short, "A Reader''s Companion to Tennessee Williams''s ''A Streetcar Named Desire''" is an indispensable guide to the socio-political, biographical, and artistic context of what is probably the greatest American drama written to date.