The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts
Presents the story of how the small community of Salem is stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia and malice, culminating in a violent climax.
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Full details for this title
| ISBN-13 |
9780141182551 |
| ISBN-10 |
0141182555 |
|
| Stock |
Available |
| Status |
In stock at publisher; ships 7-15 working days |
|
| Publisher |
Penguin |
| Imprint |
Penguin Classics |
| Publication Date |
22 June 2000
|
| International Publication Date |
24 February 2000 |
| Publication Country |
 United Kingdom |
|
| Format |
Paperback |
| Edition |
New edition |
|
| Author(s) |
By Miller, Arthur |
| Series |
Penguin Modern Classics |
| Category |
Drama Texts, Plays
|
|
| Interest Age |
All ages |
| Reading Age |
All ages |
| Library of Congress |
Witchcraft, Massachusetts, Salem, Drama |
| NBS Text |
Drama Texts, Plays & Screenplays |
| ONIX Text |
General/trade |
|
| Number of Pages |
128 |
| Dimensions |
Width: 129mm
Height: 198mm
Spine: 7mm |
| Weight |
101g |
|
| Dewey Code |
812.52 |
| Catalogue Code |
Not specified |
Description of this Book
Arthur Miller's classic parable of mass hysteria draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 - one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history - and the McCarthyism which gripped America in the 1950s. The story of how the small community of Salem is stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia and malice, culminating in a violent climax, is a savage attack on the evils of mindless persecution and the terrifying power of false accusations.
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Awards & Reviews
| UK Review |
Miller's chilling classic of collective paranoia and retribution, widely interpreted as a critique of Hoover's hysterical hunt for Communists in post-war America. In 1692, the forces of revenge and superstition envelop the town of Salem, Massachusetts, and eventually even the most upstanding and innocent of townspeople are forced to confess to witchcraft and denounce one another to save their own lives, as the hysterical fantasies of a group of young girls run wildly out of control. (Kirkus UK) |
| US Review |
This is more than merely the text of the drama now playing on Broadway. The playwright has inserted, as main characters are introduced, brief biographical bits; he has an introduction on the historical accuracy of the play, and considerable descriptive matter on Salem and the villagers and the customs of the times. All of this adds considerably to the understanding of the play itself- sets the key and the mood. With this additional material the play makes particularly good reading. (Kirkus Reviews) |
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Author's Bio
Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915 and studied at the University of Michigan. His plays include All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge and A Memory of Two Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1963), Incident at Vichy (1964), The Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972) and The American Clock. He has also written two novels, Focus (1945), and The Misfits, which was filmed in 1960, and the text for In Russia (1969), Chinese Encounters (1979), and In the Country (1977), three books of photographs by his wife, Inge Morath. His most recent works include a memoir, Timebends (1987), and the plays The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (1991), The Last Yankee (1993), Broken Glass (1993), which won the Olivier Award for Best Play of the London Season, and Mr. Peter's Connections (1998). He has twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and in 1949 he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
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