The Children's Hour

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The Children's Hour (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)

The Children's Hour was a shocking play for its time. It was based on an actual incident in nineteenth century Scotland, in which a pupil accused her schoolteachers of lesbianism. The word itself is never spoken in The Children's Hour, but the mere hint of it—the innuendo that there is something “unnatural” going on between Martha Dobie and Karen Wright—is enough to damn them in the eyes of their community. Mary, the child who levels the charge against her teachers, has been spoiled by her grandmother and has learned early how to manipulate adults. Her doting...

[The entire page is 931 words long]

See Also:

• Lillian Hellman (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
• Lillian Hellman (Dictionary of World Biography)
• Lillian Hellman (Identities and Issues)
• Lillian Hellman (Drama)
• Children’s Hour, The (Censorship)
• Children’s Hour, The (Character Profiles)
• Children’s Hour, The (Drama)
• Children’s Hour, The (Identities and Issues)
• Children’s Hour, The (Literary Places)
• Children’s Hour, The (Masterplots Classics)
• Children’s Hour, The (Women’s Literature)

See Also:

• - The Children's Hour summary and study guide in the eNotes.