The Heidi Chronicles (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Wendy Wasserstein
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Play
- Genres: Social realism, Drama, Sketch
- Subjects: 1960’s, 1970’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Mothers, Parents and children, Love or romance, Sex or sexuality, Gender roles, New York City, Friendship, Social life, Chicago, 1980’s, Feminism, Women’s issues, Women, Idealism, Lifestyles, Popular culture, Women’s movement, Career women
- Locales: New York, NY, Chicago, IL, Ann Arbor, MI, Manchester, NH
Wasserstein was inspired to write The Heidi Chronicles by the image she had of a woman telling a group of other women how unhappy she feels. The play arose partially out of Wasserstein's anger that the search for personal fulfillment had led to the abandonment both of shared ideals and of a mutual acceptance of different lifestyles. At a crucial moment in the play, Heidi Holland delivers a speech to her prep school alumnae, telling them that she feels stranded.
The Heidi Chronicles, however, is not an argumentative play; it is a nostalgic journey through one...
[The entire page is 1010 words long]
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