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 Tracing the development of Mamet's canon over a period of twenty years from his early unpublished play Marranos through his most recent work, Weasels...

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Mamet's criticism of American society, theatrical inventiveness, images of alienation and betrayal, sensitivity to language, and continuing productivity make him one of today's leading playwrights. This critical collection of eight original essays and two recently published essays by noted American and European scholars, including Ruby Cohn, Michael Hinden, Dennis Carroll, Steven Gale, and Chris Hudgins, examines David Mamet's development from the beginning of his career to the present. Structural and thematic essays provide a comprehensive overview of his work in theatre and film through...

David Mamet's criticism of American society, theatrical inventiveness, images of alienation and betrayal, sensitivity to language, and continuing productivity make him a leading contemporary playwright. This critical collection of ten essays by noted American and European scholars, including Ruby Cohn, Michael Hinden, Dennis Carroll, Steven Gale, and Chris Hudgins, examines David Mamet's development from the beginning of his career. Structural and thematic essays provide a comprehensive overview of his work in theatre and film through such diverse approaches as aesthetics, linguistic...