The House of Blue Leaves (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Guare
- First Published: 1971
- Type of Work: Play
- Genres: Drama, Absurdist literature, Comedy
- Subjects: 1960’s, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Murder or homicide, New York City, Marriage, Religion, Mental illness, Adultery, Fame, Success or failure, Songs or songwriters
- Locales: Queens, NY
What happens in the lives of the family of a middle-aged zookeeper, Artie Shaughnessy, in Queens, New York, on October 4, 1965—the day of the Roman Catholic pope's journey through Queens—is the result of an explosive combination of a lifetime of dreams and realities. Blending historical and personal events, Guare describes the play in his introduction as “a blur of many years that pulled together under the umbrella of the Pope's visit.”
Based on Guare's father (who referred to his Wall Street job as a “zoo”), Artie comes home from his job to an untidy house. At home,...
[The entire page is 794 words long]
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