George Kelly

George Kelly was a pioneer realist in the American theater who not only enjoyed popular and critical success, but also remained true to his own moral vision of theater as an art form despite what he considered vulgar influences that catered to the popular taste. Drawing upon the canon of Kelly's published plays as well as on manuscripts for four plays never before published or widely discussed by critics, this volume chronicles the evolution of this important craftsman and director from his earliest and most critically lauded examinations of America's upper middle-class family life to his often spartan commentary on changing American morals and tastes.

Calling into question the short-sighted assessments of scholars and critics who discount Kelly's achievements as formulaic and misogynistic, this reference reveals the broad spectrum of critical opinion which generally admired his theatrical skill and moral commitment. An opening biography surveys Kelly's career, while the chapters that follow give detailed information about his works. Included are plot synopses and production histories of his plays, along with an extensive annotated bibliography of reviews and scholarly studies.

MARK A. GRAVES is instructor in the Department of English, Foreign Languages and Philosophy at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY. He was a lecturer in the Department of American Thought and Language at Michigan State University where he taught freshman writing seminars on women in America and the evolution of American thought. His publications on Wilfred Owen, Ellen Glasgow, John Dos Passos, and George Kelly have appeared in such journals as English Language Notes, The Ellen Glasgow Newsletter, CLAJ, and Theatre Annual.