Contemporary & Modern Reviews

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Contemporary Reviews

When A Streetcar Named Desire was first performed on 3 December 1947, critics were unsure about its content.

Positive reception

One critic offered the view that the play was "a quietly woven play of untangibles".
Another observed that Williams was "a genuinely poetic playwright whose knowledge of people is honest and thorough".

Negative reception

One critic called it "unpleasant" and that Williams "has a pessimistic stance to human existence".
Williams might have combated this latter comment by saying that it was a realistic reflection of life – and that sometimes life is pessimistic.

"Flowery rhetoric"

Although the play was successful, some contemporary commentators satirized Williams’ use of symbolism and his "flowery rhetoric".

"Shocking material"

Others tried to pre-warn audiences about the "potentially shocking material" and also seemed to criticise the play’s "loose structure".
Such comments have to be put in the context of the time: homosexuality, rape and women’s sexuality were not normally topics seen in drama during this period.
As we know, Williams was progressive in his use of structure and form. This would have been very different from other dramas produced in the same period.

Success

Despite these early observations the play was a commercial and critical success and has gone on to become one of the most analysed plays in American literature.

Modern Reviews

Here are two reviews of modern productions of A Streetcar Named Desire:

2018 The Stage review

A review in The Stage newspaper of a 2018 production in Southampton said the following about the play:
- “Stanley knows what he’s doing from the off. Along with the way he manspreads across the stage, there's something sagacious in his eyes and skittish in his movements. Something sinister, too, in the way he slaps Stella’s behind. His violence is only barely beneath the surface – until it’s not.”

EdinburghGuide review

A review of a 2017 production at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh in EdinburghGuide.com said that:
- “A Streetcar Named Desire is unashamedly a product of its era, yet when race-blind casting gifts the production with two well-rounded performances, it also leaves offensive and racist comments unattended and uncontextualised. Animalistic comments made about Stanley by his caucasian sister-in-law take on new meanings that are never fully addressed.”

1Context & Overview

1.1The Author

1.1.1Tennessee Williams

1.2Social Context & Setting

1.2.1Social Context

1.2.2Social Issues

1.2.3Setting

1.3Tragedy

1.3.1Overview of the Tragic Genre

1.3.2Modern Domestic Tragedy

1.3.3End of Topic Test - Author, Context & Tragedy

2Scene Summaries

2.1Scene One

2.1.1Scene One: Summary

2.1.2Scene One: Tragedy Ideas

2.2Scene Two

2.2.1Scene Two: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.2.2End of Topic Test - Scenes One-Two

2.3Scene Three

2.3.1Scene Three: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.4Scene Four

2.4.1Scene Four: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.4.2End of Topic Test - Scenes Three & Four

2.5Scene Five

2.5.1Scene Five: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.6Scene Six

2.6.1Scene Six: Summary

2.7Scene Seven

2.7.1Scene Seven: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.8Scene Eight

2.8.1Scene Eight: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.8.2End of Topic Test - Scenes Five-Eight

2.9Scene Nine

2.9.1Scene Nine: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.10Scene Ten

2.10.1Scene Ten: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.11Scene Eleven

2.11.1Scene Eleven: Summary & Tragedy Ideas

2.11.2End of Topic Test - Scenes Nine-Eleven

3Character Profiles

3.1Blanche DuBois & Stanley Kowalski

3.1.1Blanche DuBois - The Past & Illusions

3.1.2Blanche DuBois - Relationship with Men & Breakdown

3.1.3The Dynamic Between Blanche & Stanley

3.1.4End of Topic Test - Blanche & Stanley

3.2Stella Kowalski & Harold Mitchell (Mitch)

3.2.1Stella Kowalski

3.2.2Harold Mitchell (Mitch)

3.3Minor Characters

3.3.1The Hubbels & Other Characters

3.3.2End of Topic Test - Stella, Mitch & Others

4Key Ideas

4.1Sex & Gender

4.1.1Sex & Desire

4.1.2Masculinity & Femininity

4.1.3End of Topic Test - Sex, Desire & Gender

4.2Appearances, Fantasy & Reality

4.2.1Outer & Inner Appearances

4.2.2Fantasy & Reality

4.2.3End of Topic Test - Appearances, Fantasy...

5Writing Techniques

5.1Structure

5.1.1Structure & Stage Design

5.1.2Linking Devices

5.1.3Recurring Motifs

5.2Genre, Form & Language

5.2.1Genre

5.2.2Form & Language

5.2.3End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

6Critical Debates

6.1Early & Modern Reception

6.1.1Interpreting Blanche & Self-Pity

6.1.2Contemporary & Modern Reviews

6.2Feminist, Psychoanalytic & Marxist Approach

6.2.1Feminist Approach

6.2.2Psychoanalytic Approach

6.2.3Marxist Approach

6.2.4End of Topic Test - Critical Debates

7Ideas About Tragedy

7.1Ideas About Tragedy

7.1.1Tragic Ideas & Villain

7.1.2Tragic Structure & Language

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