{"product_id":"understanding-death-of-a-salesman-a-student-casebook-to-issues-sources-and-historical-documents-hardcover","title":"Understanding Death of a Salesman: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historical Documents - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eBrenda Murphy\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eSusan Abbotson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis collection of social, cultural, and historical documents and popular materials, with linking explanations and commentary, will help the reader to study the play in the context of its time and cultural background. The collected materials are designed to work with the play to highlight inherent conflicts within American society which lie at the heart of \u003ci\u003eDeath of a Salesman\u003c\/i\u003e, and to explore how the play affects and is affected by social mores and beliefs. Salesmanship and the changing face of business, along with perceptions of sports, gender, and families, are explored through selections drawn from a rich variety of sources that help provide forceful evidence of the play's influence. Documents include essays, articles, and fiction, which have created or explored the social expectations of a typical American family in the late 1940s; unusual selections such as a self-analysis chart, an obituary, and a diary, which help to trace the history of salesmanship from the nineteenth century to the present day; and advertisements, song lyrics, speeches, how-to books, and other readings that promote an interdisciplinary study of the play. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMore than 70 short primary documents illustrate the cultural, social and historical milieu of the time in which the play takes place. Topics explored under Cultural Myths and Values include the Protestant work ethic vs. myths of success, the myth of the golden West vs. urban myth, and the culture of youth vs. the culture of age. A chapter on economic forces provides materials on business vs. morality, humanity vs. technology, the haves and the have-nots, American business culture, the Depression, and how to be an effective salesman. A chapter on family and gender expectations includes documents on the roles of fathers and mothers, providers vs. cowboys or playboys, and homemakers vs. call girls. A chapter on sports and leisure features documents on amateur football and sports and American values. A final chapter examines the impact of \u003ci\u003eDeath of a Salesman\u003c\/i\u003e on American culture. Each chapter is followed by study questions, topics for writing and discussion, and a list of suggested reading. This work is an ideal companion for interdisciplinary study of the play.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBRENDA MURPHY has taught at Brown University, St. Lawrence University, and the University of Connecticut, where she is currently Professor of English. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eMiller: Death of a Salesman\u003c\/i\u003e (1995), as well as a number of articles on Arthur Miller. She is also author of \u003ci\u003eTennessee Williams and Elia Kazan: A Collaboration in the Theatre\u003c\/i\u003e (1992), \u003ci\u003eA Realist in the American Theatre: Selected Drama Criticism of William Dean Howells\u003c\/i\u003e (1992), \u003ci\u003eAmerican Realism and American Drama, 1880-1940\u003c\/i\u003e (1987), the \u003ci\u003eCambridge Companion to American Women Playwrights\u003c\/i\u003e (forthcoming), and \u003ci\u003eCongressional Theatre: Dramatizing McCarthyism on Stage, Film, and Television\u003c\/i\u003e (forthcoming).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSUSAN C. W. ABBOTSON has taught English for fourteen years, first at the high school level, and more recently at the Rhode Island University. A recent Ph.D., she wrote her dissertation on Arthur Miller and August Wilson. She is also author of the drama section for \u003ci\u003eResources for Teaching: Literature and Its Writers\u003c\/i\u003e (1997), \u003ci\u003eThe Student Companion to Arthur Miller\u003c\/i\u003e (forthcoming), and a number of entries for the forthcoming \u003ci\u003eCambridge Guide for Children's Books\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 248\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.88 x 9.48 x 6.4 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 28, 1999\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47454095179954,"sku":"9780313304026","price":122.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/040294ba2d0e84bd00961d85a28d3246.webp?v=1778842998","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/understanding-death-of-a-salesman-a-student-casebook-to-issues-sources-and-historical-documents-hardcover","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}