Stephen Marino

Arthur Miller was one of the major American dramatists of the twentieth century, clearly ranking with other truly great American playwrights, including Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, and Edward Albee. The centennial of Miller’s birth in New York City on October 17, 1915 was celebrated around the world with a panoply of staged productions, theatrical events, media documentaries, and academic conferences. Miller earned his reputation during a career of more than seventy years, in which he achieved critical success in the 1940s and 1950s with the dramas All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View from the Bridge. He was also notable for his refusal to “name names at his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee”, his marriage to the film actress Marilyn Monroe, and his spell as president of the literary organization, International P.E.N. Arthur Miller was not only a literary giant, but also one of the more significant political, cultural, and social figures of his time. He was a man of conviction and integrity who frequently took stands, popular and unpopular, on the ethical issues that engaged societies throughout the world. This collection includes eclectic essays from Miller scholars who provide detailed discussions of text and performance, of Miller as a political and cultural figure, and of his connection to other playwrights. The contributions explore the trajectory of Miller’s career, his most famous and frequently produced works, such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, the dramas of his later career, and his fiction. The collection appeals to a broad American and international audience and a cross-section of readers, including undergraduates, graduates, emerging scholars, drama and theatre specialists, as well as theatre-goers who flock to revivals of Miller’s plays.

Essays Celebrating the 100th Birthday of America’s Great Playwright

Arthur Miller’s Century

Arthur Miller was one of the most important American playwrights and political and cultural figures of the 20th century. Both Death of a Salesman and The Crucible stand out as his major works: the former is always in performance somewhere in the world and the latter is Miller's most produced play. As major modern American dramas, they are the subject of a huge amount of criticism which can be daunting for students approaching the plays for the first time. This Reader's Guide introduces the major critical debates surrounding the plays and discusses their unique production histories, initial theatre reviews and later adaptations. The main trends of critical inquiry and scholars who have purported them are examined, as are the views of Miller himself, a prolific self-critic.

Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman/The Crucible

David Palmer

Arthur Miller for the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Views of His Writings and Ideas brings together both established Miller experts and emerging commentators to investigate the sources of his ongoing resonance with audiences and his place in world theatre. The collection begins by exploring Miller in the context of 20th-century American drama. Chapters discuss Miller and Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, David Mamet, and Sam Shepard, as well as thematic relationships between Miller’s ideas and the explosion of significant women and African American dramatists since the 1970s. Other essays focus more directly on interpretations of Miller’s individual works, not only plays but also essays and fiction, including a discussion of Death of a Salesman in China. The volume concludes by considering Miller and current cultural issues: his work for human rights, his depiction of American ideals of masculinity, and his anticipation of contemporary posthumanism.

Contemporary Views of His Writings and Ideas

Arthur Miller for the Twenty-First Century

"Arthur Miller was one of the major American dramatists of the twentieth century, clearly ranking with other truly great American playwrights, including Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and Edward Albee. The centennial of Miller's birth in New York City on October 17, 1915 was celebrated around the world with a panoply of staged productions, theatrical events, media documentaries, and academic conferences.Miller earned his reputation during a career of more than seventy years, in which he achieved critical success in the 1940s and 1950s with the dramas All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View from the Bridge. He was also notable for his refusal to "name names at his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee", his marriage to the film actress Marilyn Monroe, and his spell as president of the literary organization, International P.E.N. Arthur Miller was not only a literary giant, but also one of the more significant political, cultural, and social figures of his time. He was a man of conviction and integrity who frequently took stands, popular and unpopular, on the ethical issues that engaged societies throughout the world. This collection includes eclectic essays from Miller scholars who provide detailed discussions of text and performance, of Miller as a political and cultural figure, and of his connection to other playwrights. The contributions explore the trajectory of Miller's career, his most famous and frequently produced works, such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, the dramas of his later career, and his fiction. The collection appeals to a broad American and international audience and a cross-section of readers, including undergraduates, graduates, emerging scholars, drama and theatre specialists, as well as theatre-goers who flock to revivals of Miller's plays."

Essays Celebrating the 100th Birthday of America's Great Playwright

Arthur Miller's Century

"This guide surveys the criticism surrounding two of Arthur Miller's most popular and widely-studied plays. From initial theatre reviews to twenty-first-century scholarship, Stephen Marino examines the major debates and trends of critical inquiry providing an essential resource for anyone with an interest in Miller's work"--

Susan C. W. Abbotson

Toby Silverman Zinman

Alan Louis Ackerman

A Student Handbook to the Plays of Arthur Miller provides the essential guide to Miller's most studied and revived dramas. Authored by a team of leading scholars, it offers students a clear analysis and detailed commentary on five of Miller's plays: All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View from the Bridge and Broken Glass . A consistent framework of analysis ensures that whether readers want a summary of the play, a commentary on the themes or characters, or a discussion of the work in performance, they can readily find what they need to develop their understanding and aid thei.

All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, the Crucible, A View From the Bridge, Broken Glass

A Student Handbook to the Plays of Arthur Miller

This guide surveys the criticism surrounding two of Arthur Miller's most popular and widely-studied plays. From initial theatre reviews to twenty-first-century scholarship, Stephen Marino examines the major debates and trends of critical inquiry providing an essential resource for anyone with an interest in Miller's work.

Stephen Marino

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