Course Description

Instructor: Jim Mengert

In the 1940's, American drama reached the level of literature and could claim to have at last joined the company of the likes of Sophocles and Shakespeare. Two of those plays who can make that claim were Tennessee Williams' "Streetcar Named Desire" and Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night."  Both plays, in remarkably different ways, treat similar themes--about family, the past, and America in transition.  Each opened new vistas for actors and for playwrights--and created higher expectations for audiences.   

Bio: Jim has an AB from Princeton University; a Ph.D. from Yale University; and was Teacher of the Year at University of Mississippi. Jim served as the Vice-President for Speakeasy Inc. He has authored articles in scholarly journals on the poetry of John Milton and co-authored books on effective communication with Sandy Linver (published by Simon & Schuster).