A Streetcar Named Desire PDF is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway in 1947. It was published by New Directions Publishing in the same year. The play is considered one of the greatest works of American drama of the 20th century and has been widely performed and adapted for stage, film, and television.
The play was widely acclaimed upon its initial release, with many critics praising its writing, characterization, and direction. The original Broadway production starred Jessica Tandy as Blanche and Marlon Brando as Stanley, and both received much praise for their performances.
The play explores themes of desire, reality, and the clash of cultures and social classes, as well as the psychological struggles of its characters. A Streetcar Named Desire is available in several formats, including a hardcover edition, a paperback edition, an audiobook edition, and an e-book edition. It is also widely available in study guides, as well as critical and scholarly editions that examine its themes, style, and historical significance.
Table of Contents
A Streetcar Named Desire Summary
It is a play set in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 1940s. The main character, Blanche Dubois, is a Southern woman who has lost her family home and moves in with her sister, Stella Kowalski, and her brother-in-law, Stanley.
Blanche is a delicate and refined woman who is not used to the rough and tough ways of Stanley. Stanley is a working-class man who is used to getting what he wants and doesn’t take kindly to Blanche’s attempts to change his ways. The two clash and their conflicting personalities create tension and drama throughout the play.
Stella becomes pregnant and Blanche tries to keep Stanley away from her sister, but she is unable to do so. Stanley and Blanche continue to fight and their arguments become more intense as time goes on. Blanche reveals that she has had a troubled past and has been fired from her teaching job because of a scandal. Stanley finds out about Blanche’s past and uses it against her to destroy her reputation. The play ends with Blanche being taken away to a mental institution and Stella going to have her baby.
Details of A Streetcar Named Desire Book
| Book | A Streetcar Named Desire |
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Original language | English |
| Originally published | 1947 |
| Category | Play |
| Publisher | New Directions Publishing |
| Total Pages | 224 |
| Format | PDF, ePub |
Multiple Languages Editions of A Streetcar Named Desire Book
“A Streetcar Named Desire” has been translated into multiple languages including Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Russian.
| Book Editions | Check Now |
|---|---|
| English | Check Price |
| German | Check Price |
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About the Author
Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was an American playwright and one of the most influential writers of 20th-century American drama. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi, and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Williams began writing plays while he was a student at the University of Missouri and later at Washington University in St. Louis.
He had his first major success in 1944 with the play “The Glass Menagerie,” which established him as a major voice in American theater. This was followed by several other successful plays, including “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Summer and Smoke,” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” These plays often explored themes of desire, death, and the human condition, and are known for their vivid characters and poetic language.
Williams was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, receiving the award for “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1948 and for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” in 1955. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. Despite his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, Williams remained a prolific writer throughout his life, producing many plays, essays, and poems until his death in 1983.
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Similar Books to A Streetcar Named Desire Book
- The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
- Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill
- M Butterfly by David Henry Hwang
- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
- Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
- A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
- Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes
- The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O’Neill
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller
- Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams
FAQs(Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the main message of A Streetcar Named Desire?
The main message of A Streetcar Named Desire is the destructive nature of desire and the conflicts that arise from cultural and class differences.
Why is A Streetcar Named Desire so controversial?
A Streetcar Named Desire is controversial because of its frank depictions of sexuality, violence, and mental illness, which were considered taboo at the time of its publication.
What is the book A Streetcar Named Desire about?
The book “A Streetcar Named Desire” is about a troubled Southern belle named Blanche Dubois who moves in with her sister and brother-in-law in New Orleans and finds herself in conflict with her rough-edged brother-in-law Stanley.
What is the famous line from A Streetcar Named Desire?
The famous line from “A Streetcar Named Desire” is “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
Why is it called A Streetcar Named Desire?
It is called “A Streetcar Named Desire” because the streetcars in New Orleans had various names, and Blanche takes one called “Desire” to get to her sister’s house.
