How I Learned to Drive (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Paula Vogel
- First Published: 1997
- Type of Plot: Coming of age; memory play
- Time of Work: 1969-1997
- Setting: Suburban Maryland
- Principal Characters: Li’l Bit, Peck, Male Greek Chorus, Female Greek Chorus, Teenage Greek Chorus
- Genres: Bildungsroman, Domestic realism, Drama, Memory play
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Family or family life, Sex or sexuality, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Child abuse, Domestic violence, Incest, Automobiles
- Locales: Maryland
The Play
How I Learned to Drive uses a series of nonlinear scenes from the memory of Li’l Bit, who reveals her complex emotional and sexual relationship with her Uncle Peck. The scenes jump instantaneously back and forth in time on a neutral stage with minimal props. Li’l Bit is portrayed at various ages.
A one-act play, How I Learned to Drive begins with a disembodied voice saying “Safety First—You and Driver Education.” This technique is used throughout the play to indicate how and where each scene is located within the overall narrative. On a...
[The entire page is 2283 words long]
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