"I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us." Franz Kafka
For any author who would like his/her book to be reviewed, contact me. Poetry books too are solicited for reviewing. However, there are some genres I tend to avoid. Feel free to ask me.
gautami.tripathy[at]gmail.com
I must mention here that I read at my own pace and depending on my mood. Don't ask me to hurry.
Title: A Streetcar Named Desire
Author: Tennessee Williams
ISBN: 0451167783
Publisher: A Signet Book/1974
Pages: 142
This play opens in two storey corner building on a street in New Orleans. Stella is married to Stanley Kowalski, who is loud and considered a barbarian. He keeps similar company. Blanche Dubois arrives thereas if on a short visit to her younger sister Stella. Stella had not told Stanley about Blanche's visit. Stanley is not to happy to see her. They are living in a very small house with only one bedroom and a single bathroom. So Blanche's arrival is a bit of an inconveience for them. IT affects their relationship.
Blanche pretends to be a school teacher and says she is younger than Stella even she is five years older at thirty. She looks down upon Stanley, who she considers is a crude person with no manners. STanley senses that and he tries to find out about her past. And he does discover that she had a dubious past and is hiding from everyone including his friend Mitch, who is keen on marrying Blanche. Stanley tells him the truth and Mitch is now reluctant to marry Blanche. Blanche is devastated as she had hoped to leave her past behind and settle down into domesticity with Mitch. Stanley is not at all sorry and one dayhe comes out strongly on Blanche..and Blanche's loses her sanity.
This is short play which mainly which takes place mostly in the house. Mitch does love Blanche but cannot accept her past. Blanche is keen on settling down but she is also scared of her past catching up with her which is does and she is doomed. Stanley despises Blanche because she looks down upon him. And he becomes the instrument of her destruction. Stella is a good sister and she too loves Stanley despite all his failings.
The Streetcar Named Desire as the title suggests tells us about our innermost wants, needs and desires. Some we get and some we don't. And past will catch up no matter what. Especially that past which we want to keep hidden.
Do check out The Glass Menagerie too. Well worth reading.
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5 comments:
Great piece of work. Enjoy!
Doesn't Marlon Brando look good on that cover? :-) Nice review!
Both of these are terrific plays. I've been fortunate to have seen both professionally produced. While they are both very entertaining, much funnier when preformed live, too, The Glass Menagerie broke my heart. It's such a simple story, but it sure hits close to the bone.
I always enjoy reading Tennessee Williams, and find the books to be much darker than the movies that inevitably followed.
I've added both Tennessee Williams books to my TBR list.
Thanks for sharing & inspiring me!
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