Tennessee Williams 1911-1983 Early Life ▪ Born in Columbus, Mississippi 1911 ▪ Thomas Lanier Williams ▪ His mother was Miss Edwina, a “southern belle” ▪ His father was a traveling sales man – Often violent and drunk ▪ As child was sickly and over protected by his mother ▪ Moved from Mississippi to St. Louis – Culture shock ▪ Close with Sister Rose Before Playwriting ▪ Went to the University of Missouri ▪ Worked at shoe factory – Friends with Stanley Kowalski – Gave him nervous breakdowns ▪ Rose was put in an asylum ▪ Went to New Orleans ▪ Changed name to “Tennessee” Williams Career ▪ Had plays produced in local theaters ▪ 1939 won prize for American blues ▪ Battle of Angels Orpheus Descending ▪ Goes to Mexico to work on The Poker Night ▪ Also produced Broadway shows ▪ Had huge successes and huge failures ▪ Some works were reproduced several times Famous works ▪ A Streetcar Named Desire – Won Pulitzer prize ▪ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ▪ The Glass Menagerie – First success – Memory play ▪ The Rose Tattoo ▪ Maggie the Cat ▪ The Night of the Iguana Influences ▪ HIS LIFE ▪ Anton Chekhov ▪ D.H. Lawrence ▪ Hart Crane The Elements ▪ He used: – Screen projections Show major themes – lighting effects – music ▪ Language, colloquial southern speech ▪ Rhythms of language became indication of character The Decline ▪ Depended on drugs for sleep and help being awake – Began to take toll in 1960’s ▪ Death of partner Frank Merlo ▪ Younger playwrights ▪ Violent nature of 1960’s ▪ Was hospitalized by brother in 1969 ▪ Kept writing anyways ▪ Died surrounded by pills and wine in NY City in 1983 Later Views ▪ Contemporary criticism focus on: – Violence – Sexuality ▪ Seen with perversion ▪ However are of deeper subjects – Desire and loneliness Sources http://www.biography.com/people/tennessee-williams-9532952#commercial- success http://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/s/a-streetcar-named-desire/tennessee- williams-biography Norton Anthology of American Literature. In N. Baym, & R. S. Levine, The Norton Anthology of American Literature (p. 1042). New York: Wholly by its employees..