Weasels and Wisemen: Ethics and Ethnicity in the Work of David Mamet - Softcover

Kane, Leslie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0312238843 ISBN 13: 9780312238841

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001

Synopsis

Weasels and Wisemen is the first major study of David Mamet's work to investigate the moral vision and cultural poetics upon which this playwright's aesthetic vision is founded. A seminal figure in contemporary American drama whose ascendant reputation as an innovative playwright and filmmaker demands an appraisal of his thought and the evolution of his craft, Mamet's commitment to the dynamic of ethics and ethnicity heavily informs his work. Tracing the development of Mamet's canon over a period of twenty years from his early unpublished play Marranos through his most recent work, Weasels and Wisemen examines the subtle link between the moral vision and ethical behaviour that distinguishes Mamet's theatre and film. It offers a compelling rationale for the prominence and prevalence of the pedagogical relationships, the struggle for dominance, the moral imperative, the consequences of conduct, and the orientation of life that unify his work, and argues the significance of Jewish values and cultural experience that have been insufficiently acknowledged in Mamet's canon. Weasels and Wisemen provides powerful evidence that encourages readers to rethink the plays and screenplays of this important artist.

About this title

About the Author:

Leslie Kane is Professor of English at Westfield State College. She is the author of The Language of Silence and the editor of David Mamet: A Casebook, winner of the Choice Award for Outstanding Scholarship.

From Library Journal:

Kane, editor of David Mamet Review: A Casebook, has written an illuminating study of one of America's most recognizable voices (e.g., Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo). In his writing for both the stage and film, Mamet inspires heated discussion of ethics, morals, and our cultural concerns with power, the individual, and personal choices involving public and private acts. Kane explores the impact of Mamet's personal experience upon his aesthetic vision, clarifying the substantive Jewish content and methodology. Examining his entire oeuvre, she finds that Judaic thought and values are central to his artistic vision. With an extensive bibliography; recommended for all academic libraries and theater collections. (Index not seen.)ASusan L. Peters, Emory Univ. Lib., Atlanta
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0312238843
• ISBN 13: 9780312238841
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416