Marsha Norman

This collection of ten original (and one reprinted) essays provides an in-depth examination of one of America’s foremost contemporary playwrights. Established critics as well as younger scholars examine well-known works such as Getting Out, ’night, Mother, The Laundromat, and the adaptation of The Secret Garden. Lesser known plays such as The Holdup, Sarah and Abraham, Traveler in the Dark, and Loving Daniel Boone are also discussed. This casebook includes an interview with Norman commenting on her work and her place in American theater as well as a review of ’night, Mother by drama critic Robert Brustein. The essays analyze Norman’s works in comparison to the works of other playwrights and examine the mother/daughter relationships of the characters as well as Norman’s sense of a woman’s place within a patriarchal culture.