A Streetcar Named DesireTennessee Williams Author Biography Tennessee Williams:
Tennessee Williams was one of the greatest American playwrights of all time. He was born into a troubled and disturbed family as Thomas Lanier Williams. His father was an abusive traveling shoe salesman and his mother was an agressive "
Tennessee Williams
Southern Belle." His sister was bound for mental institutions, being emotionally disturbed throughout her childhood, and his younger was clearly favored by his father (Haley). Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams was also a troubled child. He hurt himself and was deeply affected by the excessive use of alcohol and drugs. These personal and family experiences as a child shaped many of the characters Williams created. After attending college at three universities, Williams moved to New Orleans, which inspired the location of A Streetcar Named Desire. In 1944 he wrote The Glass Menagerie, which premiered in Chicago and moved to Broadway. In the 1940s and 1950s, the height of Williams' career, he wrote A Streetcar Named Desire, Camino Real, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Sweet Bird of Youth. Williams worked with many other influential artists at the time to help his plays reach the stage, and even used the help of Elia Kazan, a director, to turn A Streetcar Named Desire into a film. In the 1960s Williams struggled with his plays. He did not write many, and the ones that he did were criticized for adressing improper
topics, such as his homosexuality. Williams then started to rely more heavily on alcohol and
drugs to help him get through hard times. He was hospitalized and, when later let out, wrote a book entitled Memiors, which told about his life struggle (PBS). In 1983, Tennessee Williams died in a hotel surrounded with half empty wine and pill bottles. Williams died in the Elysee Hotel in New York, which is ironically connected to the name of the apartment building Blanche DuBois stayed at in his most well known play, A Streetcar Named Desire. The apartment building was called Elysian Fields (Haley). In his lifetime, Tennessee Williams recieved four Drama Critic Circle Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (PBS). Years later, people still remember him as one of the greatest American playwrights of all time.
This is an interview with Tennessee Williams on the David Frost Show. It gets a little more in depth about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. This interview took place soon after Williams got out of the hospital.
*Tennessee Williams has more plays and books than listed above. These are just a few titles to his name. Plot Synopsis A Streetcar Named Desire takes place in New Orleans in a duplex apartment called Elysian Fields. This is the home of Stanley and Stella Kowalski. Stanley is a rough and tough worker who is also on a bowling team. Stella is a delicate woman, and younger than Stanley. She and her sister, Blanche DuBois, were raised on a plantation called Belle Reve. Blanche, who is the main character, comes to visit Stanley and Stella because she lost the plantation and was granted a leave of absence from her job as a school teacher and has nowhere to stay. Blanche unexpectedly drops in one day, surprising Stella. As Blanche arrives, we learn that she is from a more privileged background than Stanley because she is ashamed to be staying in this shabby apartment. We also learn that Blanche is very anxious and can only be calmed down by alcohol. Because of Blanche's attitude, she is instantly disliked by Stanley when he meets her. Stanley also claims that Blanche sold Belle Reve and used the money to buy clothes and jewelry. When Stanley hosts a poker party, Blanche meets one of his friends, Mitch, and is immediately attracted. They mingle a while and then are interrupted by the noise of Stanley beating Stella. Stella leaves the apartment but ends up forgiving Stanley, much to Blanche's dismay. Stanley recognizes that Blanche despises him, so he decides to spread rumors about her shady past. That night Blanche and Mitch go out on a date, and both reveal a past where their lover had died. They both agree that they need each other. A month later is Blanche's birthday. She is so excited to see Mitch but he doesn't show up because of the rumors that Stanley had told him. Mitch later drops by and Blanche tries to tell him everything will be okay. Mitch cannot believe this so he tells Blanche they can never be and leaves. Stanley comes home to find a drunken Blanche laying on the sofa. Stanley says suggestive dialogue towards Blanche until she cannot stand it anymore. Stanley claims that there is a connection between them and sets up their "date with each other from the beginning." Want to find out what happens next? Check out A Streetcar Named Desire. Literary Information A Streetcar Named Desire is a 142-paged drama. Althought it is classified as a novel, A Streetcar Named Desire is actually a play. The book is the script. A Streetcar Named Desire is written in omniscient third person, which means the narrator is not a character in the story and they know everything that happens in the story and how each character feels. Williams uses indirect characterization to create a feeling of previously knowing the character, but he also uses many types of direct characterization. He does this to make us feel like we're just getting introduced to the character. The setting is an apartment building in New Orleans. The mood of the story throughout is very dark and heavy; there are a lot of intense moments. Williams creates symbolism in A Streetcar Named Desire. The "blue piano" that underlies many parts is the symbol. The "blue piano" always comes in when the mood is intense and something dramatic is happening, so when it comes into play, it's easy to tell what the most important parts are. There is both formal and informal diction; Stella, Stanley, and Mitch using informal diction and Blanche using formal diction. There are a lot of simple sentences. In this book it is more common to find shorter sentences, because they are using informal diction, so the sentence structure throughout the majority of the book is a simple sentence structure. Williams' tone and style are clear and strong in the book. Williams', more often than not, writes about his own personal experiences, which creates a strong tone and style. This is because when an author experiences what they write about, it creates a stronger voice and the attitude the author has about the subject is clearly evident.
This is a clip from the movie A Streetcar Named Desire.
Literary Analysis
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses symbolism in a very effective way. A symbol in this book is the "blue piano." The "blue piano" underscores much of the play. It usually always comes in when something intense is happening or if it is a really important part in the story. For example, towards the end of scene one, Blanche tells Stella how she lost the plantation their family owned. Stella gets mad at Blanche and blames her for the loss, but Blanche get furious and blames it all on Stella for not being there. This is a very intense part between the two and the stage direction says, "[They stare at each other... The music of the "blue piano" grows louder. Blanche touches her handkerchief to her forehead,]" (26). This is important because the sisters never fight and now they are. The "blue piano" underscores this dramatic, intense part. Another example of this is at the end of scene nine when Mitch has just told Blanche they could never be together. Blanche is so depressed and infuriated at him that she yells "Fire!" out of the window to make him leave. After Mitch runs away, the stage direction says, "[Blanche staggers back from the window and falls to her knees. The distant piano is slow and blue,]" (121). This is important because it was Mitch leaving that made Blanche start to go crazy. The "blue piano" underscores the play at the most important, dramatic, and intense parts.
Williams also uses diction to show just how opposite Stanley and Blanche are. The author says at the beginning of the play that Stanley came from a very different background than Blanche and Stella did. "[Stella comes out on the first floor landing, a gentle young woman, about twenty-five, and of a background quite different from her husband's,]" (13-14). Since Stella and Blanche were raised in the same family, Blanche must come from the same background as Stella. In the play, Stanley uses only informal diction; he often speaks in slang. A few examples of his informal diction are: "H'lo. Where's the little woman?" (29), "Let's have a few more details on the subjeck," (33), and "What's a matter with Eun-uss?... Naw. She's gettin' a drink," (75). As shown in these quotes, Stanley uses a lot of slang and simple sentences. Blanche uses a lot of formal diction in her complex sentences. A few examples of her formal diction are: "There are thousands of papers, stretching back over hundreds of years, affecting Belle Reve as, piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications-to put it plainly!" (43), "I think you have a great capacity for devotion," (95), and "A cultivated woman , a woman of intelligence and breeding, can enrich a man's life-immeasureably!" (126). As shown in these quotes, Blanche uses a lot of formal diction and complex sentences. Blanche and Stanely dislike each other and Williams uses diction to enhance this relationship. Blanche often gets angry at Stanley for being so short and crass. Stanley often gets weirded out when Blanche uses her formal diction because he can't understand what she means. This lack of understanding in diction between the two helps enhance the opposition of their personalities.
Criticism
I really don't have much criticism for A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee
Williams. It was captivating at all times, I don't think I ever got bored while
Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) & Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) in the film verson of "Streetcar"
reading the play. I like how Williams created the character of Blanche DuBois.
There were all of these different layers of her personality that Williams gradually added in as the story progressed. I also enjoyed how Williams made the characters easy to like or dislike. He described them in such a relatable way that I felt that I knew a Stanley Kowalski and a Blanche DuBois. He described Stanley as a rough guy who mistreated women and that made it so easy for me to dislike him because I don't like men like that in real life. He gave the characters realistic qualities, which I like, and I feel like not a lot of other authors do that. If I did have a little criticism I would say that I wished there would have been more time between Blanche and Stanley that showed the real connection they had. Whenever Stella was around I felt that Stanley just acted like he disliked Blanche. When Blanche and Stanley were alone together, however, we learn that Stanley had a different connection with Stella.
I wish that connection had been shown a little more because when it was
presented, I felt like it was quite sudden and random. I would give it a 9 out of 10 stars. Even with that minor critique, I loved A Streetcar Named Desire and I definitely would recommend it as a great book to read.
If you liked this book, you might be interested in:(Click on the picture to activate the link)
Other books/plays by Tennessee Williams:
A Streetcar Named DesireTennessee Williams
Author Biography
Tennessee Williams:
Tennessee Williams was one of the greatest American playwrights of all time. He was born into a troubled and disturbed family as Thomas Lanier Williams. His father was an abusive traveling shoe salesman and his mother was an agressive "
topics, such as his homosexuality. Williams then started to rely more heavily on alcohol and
drugs to help him get through hard times. He was hospitalized and, when later let out, wrote a book entitled Memiors, which told about his life struggle (PBS). In 1983, Tennessee Williams died in a hotel surrounded with half empty wine and pill bottles. Williams died in the Elysee Hotel in New York, which is ironically connected to the name of the apartment building Blanche DuBois stayed at in his most well known play, A Streetcar Named Desire. The apartment building was called Elysian Fields (Haley). In his lifetime, Tennessee Williams recieved four Drama Critic Circle Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (PBS). Years later, people still remember him as one of the greatest American playwrights of all time.
This is an interview with Tennessee Williams on the David Frost Show. It gets a little more in depth about his struggles with alcohol and drugs. This interview took place soon after Williams got out of the hospital.
*Tennessee Williams has more plays and books than listed above. These are just a few titles to his name.
Plot Synopsis
A Streetcar Named Desire takes place in New Orleans in a duplex apartment called Elysian Fields. This is the home of Stanley and Stella Kowalski. Stanley is a rough and tough worker who is also on a bowling team. Stella is a delicate woman, and younger than Stanley. She and her sister, Blanche DuBois, were raised on a plantation called Belle Reve. Blanche, who is the main character, comes to visit Stanley and Stella because she lost the plantation and was granted a leave of absence from her job as a school teacher and has nowhere to stay. Blanche unexpectedly drops in one day, surprising Stella. As Blanche arrives, we learn that she is from a more privileged background than Stanley because she is ashamed to be staying in this shabby apartment. We also learn that Blanche is very anxious and can only be calmed down by alcohol. Because of Blanche's attitude, she is instantly disliked by Stanley when he meets her. Stanley also claims that Blanche sold Belle Reve and used the money to buy clothes and jewelry. When Stanley hosts a poker party, Blanche meets one of his friends, Mitch, and is immediately attracted. They mingle a while and then are interrupted by the noise of Stanley beating Stella. Stella leaves the apartment but ends up forgiving Stanley, much to Blanche's dismay. Stanley recognizes that Blanche despises him, so he decides to spread rumors about her shady past. That night Blanche and Mitch go out on a date, and both reveal a past where their lover had died. They both agree that they need each other. A month later is Blanche's birthday. She is so excited to see Mitch but he doesn't show up because of the rumors that Stanley had told him. Mitch later drops by and Blanche tries to tell him everything will be okay. Mitch cannot believe this so he tells Blanche they can never be and leaves. Stanley comes home to find a drunken Blanche laying on the sofa. Stanley says suggestive dialogue towards Blanche until she cannot stand it anymore. Stanley claims that there is a connection between them and sets up their "date with each other from the beginning." Want to find out what happens next? Check out A Streetcar Named Desire.
Literary Information
A Streetcar Named Desire is a 142-paged drama. Althought it is classified as a novel, A Streetcar Named Desire is actually a play. The book is the script. A Streetcar Named Desire is written in omniscient third person, which means the narrator is not a character in the story and they know everything that happens in the story and how each character feels. Williams uses indirect characterization to create a feeling of previously knowing the character, but he also uses many types of direct characterization. He does this to make us feel like we're just getting introduced to the character. The setting is an apartment building in New Orleans. The mood of the story throughout is very dark and heavy; there are a lot of intense moments. Williams creates symbolism in A Streetcar Named Desire. The "blue piano" that underlies many parts is the symbol. The "blue piano" always comes in when the mood is intense and something dramatic is happening, so when it comes into play, it's easy to tell what the most important parts are. There is both formal and informal diction; Stella, Stanley, and Mitch using informal diction and Blanche using formal diction. There are a lot of simple sentences. In this book it is more common to find shorter sentences, because they are using informal diction, so the sentence structure throughout the majority of the book is a simple sentence structure. Williams' tone and style are clear and strong in the book. Williams', more often than not, writes about his own personal experiences, which creates a strong tone and style. This is because when an author experiences what they write about, it creates a stronger voice and the attitude the author has about the subject is clearly evident.
This is a clip from the movie A Streetcar Named Desire.
Literary Analysis
In A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams uses symbolism in a very effective way. A symbol in this book is the "blue piano." The "blue piano" underscores much of the play. It usually always comes in when something intense is happening or if it is a really important part in the story. For example, towards the end of scene one, Blanche tells Stella how she lost the plantation their family owned. Stella gets mad at Blanche and blames her for the loss, but Blanche get furious and blames it all on Stella for not being there. This is a very intense part between the two and the stage direction says, "[They stare at each other... The music of the "blue piano" grows louder. Blanche touches her handkerchief to her forehead,]" (26). This is important because the sisters never fight and now they are. The "blue piano" underscores this dramatic, intense part. Another example of this is at the end of scene nine when Mitch has just told Blanche they could never be together. Blanche is so depressed and infuriated at him that she yells "Fire!" out of the window to make him leave. After Mitch runs away, the stage direction says, "[Blanche staggers back from the window and falls to her knees. The distant piano is slow and blue,]" (121). This is important because it was Mitch leaving that made Blanche start to go crazy. The "blue piano" underscores the play at the most important, dramatic, and intense parts.
Williams also uses diction to show just how opposite Stanley and Blanche are. The author says at the beginning of the play that Stanley came from a very different background than Blanche and Stella did. "[Stella comes out on the first floor landing, a gentle young woman, about twenty-five, and of a background quite different from her husband's,]" (13-14). Since Stella and Blanche were raised in the same family, Blanche must come from the same background as Stella. In the play, Stanley uses only informal diction; he often speaks in slang. A few examples of his informal diction are: "H'lo. Where's the little woman?" (29), "Let's have a few more details on the subjeck," (33), and "What's a matter with Eun-uss?... Naw. She's gettin' a drink," (75). As shown in these quotes, Stanley uses a lot of slang and simple sentences. Blanche uses a lot of formal diction in her complex sentences. A few examples of her formal diction are: "There are thousands of papers, stretching back over hundreds of years, affecting Belle Reve as, piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications-to put it plainly!" (43), "I think you have a great capacity for devotion," (95), and "A cultivated woman , a woman of intelligence and breeding, can enrich a man's life-immeasureably!" (126). As shown in these quotes, Blanche uses a lot of formal diction and complex sentences. Blanche and Stanely dislike each other and Williams uses diction to enhance this relationship. Blanche often gets angry at Stanley for being so short and crass. Stanley often gets weirded out when Blanche uses her formal diction because he can't understand what she means. This lack of understanding in diction between the two helps enhance the opposition of their personalities.
Criticism
I really don't have much criticism for A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee
Williams. It was captivating at all times, I don't think I ever got bored while
reading the play. I like how Williams created the character of Blanche DuBois.
There were all of these different layers of her personality that Williams gradually added in as the story progressed. I also enjoyed how Williams made the characters easy to like or dislike. He described them in such a relatable way that I felt that I knew a Stanley Kowalski and a Blanche DuBois. He described Stanley as a rough guy who mistreated women and that made it so easy for me to dislike him because I don't like men like that in real life. He gave the characters realistic qualities, which I like, and I feel like not a lot of other authors do that. If I did have a little criticism I would say that I wished there would have been more time between Blanche and Stanley that showed the real connection they had. Whenever Stella was around I felt that Stanley just acted like he disliked Blanche. When Blanche and Stanley were alone together, however, we learn that Stanley had a different connection with Stella.
I wish that connection had been shown a little more because when it was
presented, I felt like it was quite sudden and random. I would give it a 9 out of 10 stars. Even with that minor critique, I loved A Streetcar Named Desire and I definitely would recommend it as a great book to read.
If you liked this book, you might be interested in:(Click on the picture to activate the link)
Other books/plays by Tennessee Williams:
If you liked this book, check out these wiki pages:
The Importance of Being Earnest
Wicked
My Sister's Keeper
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Want to know more about Tennessee Williams? Check these sites out:
Tennessee Williams - American Masters
Tennessee Williams - East Tennessee State University
Tennessee Williams - Wikipedia
Books by Tennessee Williams
Cites: (If used for written information, the cites are linked through the citation)
Original manuscript of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Youtube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN3icAgw9LI
List of Tennessee Williams' books - http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&rlz=1I7GWYA_en&tbs=bks:1&tbo=u&q=inauthor:Tennessee+inauthor:Williams&ei=CuCvS73FOpH0Na6OxLQO&sa=X&oi=book_group&ct=title&cad=author-navigational&resnum=8&ved=0CCsQsAMwBw
Link for The Glass Menagerie - http://www.bookrags.com/notes/gm/
Link for Memoirs - http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/tennessee-williams/memoirs.htm
Link for Battle of Angels - http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/tennessee-williams/battle-of-angels.htm