Plays
by Susan Glaspell (1876–1948)
- Free to read
- 3 hours to read
- 4 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"Plays by Susan Glaspell" is a collection of dramatic works written in the early 20th century. This volume contains several one-act plays, including the well-known piece "Trifles," which explores themes of gender roles, social justice, and the complexities of human experience through the lives of its characters. The collection often revolves around women's perspectives and the societal issues they face, highlighting their experiences in a male-dominated society. The opening of the collection introduces "Trifles," setting the stage in a gloomy farmhouse where a group of men, including the County Attorney and Sheriff, are investigating the murder of John Wright. They are joined by their wives, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, who initially seem to occupy trivial roles. However, as the men dismiss various domestic objects as insignificant, the women begin to uncover deeper truths about Wright’s life and the emotional turmoil of his wife, Minnie. As the men search for tangible evidence, the women piece together the psychological narrative that ultimately reveals the motivations behind the crime, highlighting the theme of understanding versus ignorance across gender lines.
Read the opening
Act One
SCENE: The living-room of Bernice’s house in the country. You feel yourself in the house of a woman you would like to know, a woman of sure and beautiful instincts, who lives simply. At the spectator’s right, stairs go up from the living room; back of this—right, rear, a door; to the front of the stairs is a narrowed passage as of a hall leading to the kitchen. On the other side of the room, is a tea-table before the fireplace, and before it is a low rounded chair, as if awaiting the one who will come to serve tea. Toward the rear of this left wall is a door. This door is closed. From the back of the room French windows lead directly out of doors. On each side of this door is a window thus opening almost the entire wall to the October woods. There are comfortable seats under the windows, books about. It is late afternoon and the sun glows through the flaming leaves. As the curtain is drawn the FATHER is seen sitting at a long table at the side of the stairway, playing solitaire. At the back of the cards, open books are propped against the wall, and papers on which he has been writing. ABBIE, a middle-aged servant, is attending to the open fire.
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About this edition
This free edition of Plays by Susan Glaspell comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #59432, released 2019-05-04. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Plays/Films/Dramas, American Literature, Gender & Sexuality Studies.
Other editions: eBook #10623 (most read).
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
