Historical Context
Waiting for Lefty was inspired by a 1934 taxi strike in New York City, an event that would still have been fresh in the minds of its...
(The entire section is 1235 words.)
Literary Style
Staging
Odets specifies that Waiting for Lefty is enacted on "a bare stage." Whether the setting is a union hall, an...
(The entire section is 606 words.)
Bibliography and Further Reading
SOURCES
Atkinson, Brooks. Review of Waiting for Lefty in the New York Times, March 27, 1935.
Clurman,...
(The entire section is 240 words.)
Bibliography
(Masterpieces of American Literature)
Brenman-Gibson, Margaret. Clifford Odets—American Playwright: The Years from 1906 to 1940. New York: Atheneum, 1981.
Cantor, Harold. Clifford Odets: Playwright-Poet. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2000.
Herr, Christopher J. Clifford Odets and American Political Theatre. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2003.
Mendelsohn, Michael J. Clifford Odets: Humane Dramatist. Deland, Fla.: Everett/Edwards, 1969.
Miller, Gabriel, ed. Critical Essays on Clifford Odets. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1991.
Murray, Edward. Clifford Odets:...
(The entire section is 120 words.)
Compare and Contrast
1935: The United Automobile Workers (UAW) holds its first convention in Detroit, Michigan. After a long, bitter, and often violent...
(The entire section is 375 words.)
Topics for Further Study
Compare Odets's working-class characters to the ways blue-collar workers are presented in three to four contemporary works of your own...
(The entire section is 235 words.)
What Do I Read Next?
Odets' s other works provide for interesting comparisons with Waiting for Lefty and reveal the full range of his talents and concerns....
(The entire section is 281 words.)