Two Trains Running (Masterplots II: African American Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: August Wilson
- First Published: 1991
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: 1969
- Setting: A restaurant in a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ghetto
- Principal Characters: Memphis Lee, Wolf, Risa (Clarissa) Thomas, Holloway, Hambone, Sterling Johnson, West
- Genres: Drama, Psychological drama
- Subjects: Justice, 1960’s, Gambling, Restaurants, bars, taverns, or pubs, Poverty or poor people, Inner cities or inner-city life, Death or dying, Preaching, Money, Funeral rites or ceremonies, Pittsburgh, Economic conditions, Consumers or consumer rights, Prophecy or prophets, Urban renewal
- Locales: Pittsburgh, PA
The Play
Two Trains Running is a two-act drama consisting of eight scenes that unfold over a period of one week in Memphis Lee’s restaurant in Pittsburgh. As in many of August Wilson’s plays, there is a minimum of action: Many of the drama’s key events occur offstage and are discussed by the characters. The emphasis is on dialogue—the rich musical language of the street and the harsh urban reality it explores.
As the drama opens, urban renewal has gradually (and ironically) brought a once-vibrant neighborhood under the wrecker’s ball, and Memphis’...
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See Also:
- - Two Trains Running summary and study guide in the eNotes.
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