Roundtable of Scholars to discuss Dean Claire Gleitman's book

By Chris Holmes, March 28, 2023

A roundtable of notable scholars will gather to present on and discuss Dean Claire Gleitman's academic monograph, Anxious Masculinity in the Drama of Arthur Miller and Beyond (Methuen Drama, 2022). 

The Comparative Drama Conference, held this year at Rollins College, will hold a special session to discuss Dean Gleitman's groundbreaking work on twentieth and twenty-first century American drama. Three scholars will introduce the book in the context of a particular thematic element, and a roundtable will discuss the broader implications of Gleitman's work to Arthur Miller Studies, and contemporary drama studies.

Professor Gleitman’s recent book (Bloomsbury 2022) is among the most significant contributions to Miller scholarship in the last decade. Opening with ideas about Miller’s depiction of crises in conceptions of masculinity created by modern capitalism and their consequences for our views of the feminine, she extends these ideas in commentaries on other American dramatists from Tennessee Williams, Sam Shepard, August Wilson, Tony Kushner, and Paula Vogel through Suzan-Lori Parks, Jackie Sibblies Drury, and Jeremy O. Harris. The book provides perceptive insights into both the development of modern American drama and the social and political crises of America today. The session opens with Professor Gleitman giving an overview of her ideas followed by responses from three commentators taking different perspectives on her work. Significant time is allotted for audience discussion.