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Loading... The Crucible (original 1953; edition 1982)by Arthur Miller (Author)
Work InformationThe Crucible by Arthur Miller (1953)
  
Best Historical Fiction (111) 1950s (26) » 31 more 20th Century Literature (275) Legal Stories (14) Books Read in 2015 (1,361) Carole's List (176) Books Read in 2017 (2,162) Plays I Like (15) Overdue Podcast (240) Favourite Books (1,301) Books Read in 2021 (5,069) Witch Hunts (1) Rory Gilmore Book Club (172) 100 World Classics (90) Books in Riverdale (76) Nifty Fifties (53) Books I've read (82) AP Lit (260) No current Talk conversations about this book. A play worth studying, as well as watching. (  ) mykl-s | Aug 13, 2023 |  I really liked this in high school and college. Now that I'm teaching it, I guess I don't feel as strongly about it one way or another. I can only hope that my students like it as much as I did. (  ) beckyrenner | Aug 3, 2023 | I enjoyed the long introduction and the notes from the playwright in this very thorough edition. The play itself is a classic, the first "witch hunt" onstage, giving rise to so many important cultural conversations. ( ) mj_papaya | Jul 14, 2023 | Miller is at the height of his powers here, writing a play about witch hunts during the height of Joe McCarthy's reign as the country's head persecutor of supposed communists and fellow travellers. The play is harrowing, although I don't remember the original version having the asides that give character background information and historical context. Overall, a stunning depiction of the hysteria that takes hold when there is a perceived threat to the community, and the miscarriage of justice that occurs when the responsibility for facing this threat is placed in the wrong hands. ( ) jonbrammer | Jul 1, 2023 | I reread this play again, as I'd decided a month ago to teach it to my American Literature class. When I chose it, the mass hysteria it portrayed, along with the question of one's good name and reputation, seemed a relevant topic with an election year coming up. As it turned out, with the coronavirus pandemic, the play has been even more important. My students quite enjoyed Miller's work, as usual, but we found that life and literature informed each other, as they were able to relate the mass hysteria in the world around them with the hysteria seen in the play—both comparing and contrasting, mind you. In all, Miller's play is a timeless classic, and I think that it will, unfortunately, always be relevant for one reason or another. (  ) Synopsis2486 | May 15, 2023 | no reviews | add a review
Is contained inMiller Plays 1: All My Sons / Death of a Salesman / The Crucible / A Memory of Two Mondays / A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller Collected Plays by Arthur Miller (indirect) Has the adaptationHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a studyHas as a commentary on the textHas as a student's study guideHas as a teacher's guideAwardsNotable Lists
"I believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history," Arthur Miller wrote in an introduction to The Crucible, his classic play about the witch-hunts and trials in seventeenth-century Salem, Massachusetts. Based on historical people and real events, Miller's drama is a searing portrait of a community engulfed by hysteria. In the rigid theocracy of Salem, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town's most basic fears and suspicions; and when a young girl accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch, self-righteous church leaders and townspeople insist that Elizabeth be brought to trial. The ruthlessness of the prosecutors and the eagerness of neighbor to testify against neighbor brilliantly illuminate the destructive power of socially sanctioned violence. Written in 1953, The Crucible is a mirror Miller uses to reflect the anti-communist hysteria inspired by Senator Joseph McCarthy's witch-hunts in the United States. Within the text itself, Miller contemplates the parallels, writing: "Political opposition ... is given an inhumane overlay, which then justifies the abrogation of all normally applied customs of civilized behavior. A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it meets with diabolical malevolence." No library descriptions found. 
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)812.52Literature English (North America) American drama 20th Century 1900-1945LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.65)
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