Machinal (Masterplots II: Drama, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Sophie Treadwell
- First Published: 1928
- Type of Plot: Expressionist
- Time of Work: The late 1920’s
- Setting: A large American city like New York City
- Principal Characters: The Young Woman, The Boss, The Telephone Girl, Mother, The First Man
- Genres: Drama, Women’s literature, Expressionist literature
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Wives, Mothers, Sexism, Murder or homicide, Alienation, 1920’s, Feminism, Adultery, Women, Identity, Industry
- Locales: New York, NY
The Play
Inspired by the notorious case of Ruth Snyder, an adulteress who died in the electric chair for the murder of her husband, Machinal is the personal tragedy of a gentle individual alien to a crowded, hard society. It is told in nine episodes in an expressionistic style, dramatized consistently from the viewpoint of the Young Woman. Each episode depicts a phase in the Young Woman’s life, usually a situation in which a woman is supposed to be fulfilled. In only one phase does the Young Woman find companionship, peace, freedom, happiness, beauty, or meaning: That...
[The entire page is 2350 words long]
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