Clifford Odets and American political theatre / Christopher J. Herr.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [161]-170) and index.

1. Odets and America, 1906-1929 -- 2. Art and Politics in the Marketplace: Odets, the Group, and America, 1929-1940 -- 3. "Life Printed on Dollar Bills": The Marketplace in Odets' Group Plays -- 4. Odets and the Dwindling Political Theatre, 1940-1954 -- 5. "A Real Artist of the People": Odets' Post-Group Plays -- 6. "The Enemy with a Capital 'E'": Odets' Final Years.

"Spanning two World Wars, the Depression, and the Cold War, the works of Clifford Odets illuminate a period of tremendous change in American life and theatre. Herr examines Odets's plays and screenplays against the backdrop of the artistic and economic pressures placed upon him by the Group Theatre, Broadway, Hollywood, and the 1952 HUAC hearings in which he testified. He avers that Odets's experience as a writer in the film and theatre industries is reflected in expressions of economic struggle in his plays. While a "culture of abundance" in the face of economic catastrophe shaped the structure and content of his early works, political pressures, especially during the Cold War, shaped his later career." "This book illustrates the deeply utopian nature of Odets's vision, which existed alongside a continuing ambivalence toward consumer culture as a means of political and social change. Herr's fresh new look at Odets's works and contributions to the American stage invites readers to reconsider accepted notions about the playwright's importance."--BOOK JACKET.