David Mamet's Oleanna

David Mamet is widely considered to be the voice of contemporary American Theatre. His use of what is taken to be realistic language together with minimalist staging creates a postmodern combination that pushes an audience in conflicting directions. The result is that initial audiences for Oleanna were aroused to applaud and loudly react to the ending of the play when a male teacher beats a female student. The issues the play raises about political correctness are turned on their head. Oleanna is a particularly complex play in terms of both form and content and this guide offers a theoretically informed introductory analysis. It provides students with a comprehensive critical introduction to the play and includes new interpretations of the text in light of recent developments in Mamet's playwriting and the intervening shifts in the political landscape.

Autorentext

David K. Sauer is Professor Emeritus at the Jesuit College of Spring Hill, Alabama, USA, where he directed plays for twenty years and also taught in the English Department. He is president of The David Mamet Society. His most recent books are American Drama and the Postmodern: Fracturing the Realistic Stage and David Mamet's Oleanna and he has published as well in Leslie Kane's anthology, David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, as well as in journals: Modern Drama, Shakespeare Yearbook, Shakespeare Quarterly, Shaw, American Drama and others.

David K. Sauer is Professor of English at Spring Hill College, USA. He is President of the David Mamet Society and has published widely on Mamet, including David Mamet: A Resource and Production Sourcebook (with Janice Sauer, Praeger, 2003).

Inhalt

General Preface

1. Background and Context
2. Analysis and Commentary
3. Oleanna in Performance: Less is More
4. Workshopping the Text: 'Whatever side you take, you're wrong'
5. Conclusion
   Timeline 1945-60
   Further Reading
   Bibliography
   Index