Description
Book SynopsisWilliams's favourite among his plays, [
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof] is perhaps his most impassioned and articulate statement on human isolation, the wrenching problems of communication between people and the ways in which death defines life.'
NEW YORK TIMESIn
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a Southern family meet to celebrate ''Big Daddy'' Pollitt''s 65th birthday. But as the party unfolds, the facade of a happy family gathering is fractured by sexual frustration, repressed love and greed in the light of their father''s impending death. This edition includes a commentary by Benjamin Hudson, which explores the major themes of the play, including illness and mortality; white supremacy through the plantation setting; mendacity and ''fake news''; alcoholism and addiction; as well as sexuality, womanhood and mid-century notions of masculinity. It draws attention to the context of the play, including the cultural, social and political landscape of the Mississippi Delta and St. L
Table of ContentsChronology Introduction Original contexts (Williams's biography; setting)
Cat in the 21st-century/COVID-era play Themes (whiteness and cultural degeneration; illness and mortality; marriage, sexuality and inheritance) Productions/adaptations Further readings Notes
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Notes to the play
