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Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams. By Todd Christensen. Background. Thomas Lanier Williams Born in Columbus, Mississippi (1911-1983) Older sister, Rose Younger brother, Walter Father’s abandonment becomes motif for The Glass Menagerie. Influences. Chekhov D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930 )

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Tennessee Williams

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  1. Tennessee Williams By Todd Christensen

  2. Background • Thomas Lanier Williams • Born in Columbus, Mississippi • (1911-1983) • Older sister, Rose • Younger brother, Walter • Father’s abandonment becomes motif for The Glass Menagerie

  3. Influences • Chekhov • D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) • Hart Crane (1899-1932)– Aspects are depicted as Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Sebastian Venable in Suddenly Last Summer

  4. Suddenly Last Summer Characters

  5. Sebastian • Dead before play begins • Homosexual • Devoured by island boys he tried to seduce

  6. Mrs. Violet Venable • Wealthy Southern dowager • Commits Catharine to a mental asylum • Suffers from a stroke

  7. Catharine • Violet’s niece • Sebastian’s cousin • Witnesses Sebastian’s death and tells and retells the details of the murder

  8. Dr. Cukrowicz • Neurosurgeon • Mrs. Venable wants him to lobotomize her niece

  9. Plot Summary of Suddenly Last Summer

  10. Scene One • Set in New Orleans • Mrs. Venable accompanied Sebastian on summer travels • “Poem of Summer” • Violet has stroke • Catharine accompanies Sebastian on his summer trip and witnesses his murder

  11. Scene Two • Catharine is sent to a mental asylum • She “babbles” the story of Sebastian’s death at Cabeza de Lobo in the Encantadas (the Galapagos Islands) • Mrs. Venable consults Dr. Cukrowicz to perform a lobotomy

  12. Scene Three • Catharine’s mother and brother appear only to claim money from Sebastian’s estate • Unmoved by Catharine’s suffering

  13. Scene Four • Catharine’s climactic description of Sebastian’s death • Dr. Cukrowicz injects Catharine with sodium pentathol and discovers that her story is true • He confronts Mrs. Venable with the truth about her son’s death.

  14. The Glass Menagerie Characters

  15. Amanda Wingfield • Laura’s mother • Persuades Tom to invite Jim over for dinner

  16. Laura Wingfield • Tom’s younger sister • Collects glass animal figurines • Favorite is Unicorn

  17. Tom Wingfield • Narrator • Loves his sister and is the sole support of the family

  18. Jim O’Connor • Engaged already • High School hero • Works in the Continental Shoemakers warehouse with Tom

  19. Plot Summary of The Glass Menagerie

  20. Scene One and Two • Just before World War II • Amanda wants Laura to complete a typing class • Laura pretends to attend and wanders in the park instead

  21. Scene Three and Four • Tom knocks over Laura’s collection (accidentally) • Amanda makes a bargain with Tom

  22. Scene Five and Six • Tom has invited Jim O’ Connor to dinner • He has not told Jim about Laura • Amanda reveals Jim’s identity before he arrives • Amanda entertains Jim with small talk

  23. Scene Seven • Laura brings out their high school yearbook (The Torch) • Jim is nice to Laura and asks her to dance • While dancing, the unicorn’s horn breaks off • Jim kisses Laura • Realizes he goes too far

  24. A Streetcar Named Desire Characters

  25. Blanch DuBois • English teacher • Stays at “Elysian Fields” with Stella and Stanley Kowalski • Homosexual husband committed suicide

  26. Stanley Kowalski • Abusive • Malice towards Blanche • A “Brute”

  27. Stella Kowalski • Only thing in common with Stella is sex life and bowling • Doesn’t believe Blanche’s rape story about Stanley

  28. Harold (“Mitch”) Mitchell • Unmarried • Only one to treat Blanche with respect since her arrival • Relationship with Blanche ends after he learns of her past

  29. Plot Summary of A Streetcar Named Desire

  30. Scene One and Two • Set in New Orleans • Blanche and Stanley don’t get along • Stella plans to take Blanche out to not interfere with Stanley’s poker night

  31. Scene Three and Four • Blanche meets Mitch • Blanche asserts that Stella’s marriage and unborn child are products of a lust as aimless as the “street-car named Desire” • Blanche implores Stella to resist the future with Stanley

  32. Scene Five and Six • Stanley met a man who met a whore named Blanche • Mitch takes Blanche out that night • A boy comes to collect for the newspaper and Blanche kisses him • On their date, Blanche tells Mitch of her marriage

  33. Scene Seven, Eight, and Nine • Stanley reveals to Mitch that Blanche was fired from her teaching job • Stanley gives Blanche a bus ticket to Laurel • Stella goes into labor • Mitch and Blanche’s relationship ends

  34. Scene Ten and Eleven • The baby hasn’t come yet and Stanley returns home • Stanley rapes Blanche • Stella returns with the baby and Blanche tells her what has happened • Stella has Blanche admitted to an asylum • She never accepts that the rape occurred

  35. Scene Eleven

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