Book excerpt: A comprehensive study guide offering in-depth explanation, essay, and test prep for selected works by Tennessee Williams, considered to be among the three foremost playwrights of twentieth-century American drama. Titles in this study guide include A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descending, and The Glass Menagerie. As playwright of the twentieth-century, Tennessee Williams’ plays uncovered a world of grievance in which violence and sex lay just below the surface of romantic glamour. Moreover, his works displayed that simpler times are not always simple, they are simply clearer in hindsight. This Bright Notes Study Guide explores the context and history of Tennessee Williams’ classic work, helping students to thoroughly explore the reasons they have stood the literary test of time. Each Bright Notes Study Guide contains: - Introductions to the Author and the Work - Character Summaries - Plot Guides - Section and Chapter Overviews - Test Essay and Study Q&As The Bright Notes Study Guide series offers an in-depth tour of more than 275 classic works of literature, exploring characters, critical commentary, historical background, plots, and themes. This set of study guides encourages readers to dig deeper in their understanding by including essay questions and answers as well as topics for further research.