In his newest biography, award-winning Martin Gottfried explores the life and works of Arthur Miller, a controversial figure in American theater. With more than 400 books, articles and theses written about just one of Miller's plays, Gottfried discusses why Miller's plays have been as popular as they've been hotly debated.
Miller is perhaps best known for several of his earliest works, most notably "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible." In both works, the past works upon the present, but in dramatically different ways.
"Death of a Salesman" has been called "the tragedy of a common man." It's still the most popular academic work of the early 20th century, with hundreds of critical works debating the various aspects of the plays history and importance. Miller also received the Pulitzer Prize in 1949 for this everyman play.
In the play, Miller writes, "Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But hes' a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him."
Gottfried writes, "For Miller, realism meant facing the facts and being not just pragmatic but sane. Implicit for him is that without sanity, intelligence is of little use." Exploring the fine line between sanity and what comes after, he explores ordinary people in "The Crucible," telling a journalist that "it is rare in history or in life that you get such a complete heroic tragedy occurring in reality.
"Death of a Salesman" has been called "the tragedy of a common man." It's still the most popular academic work of the early 20th century, with hundreds of critical works debating the various aspects of the plays history and importance. Miller also received the Pulitzer Prize in 1949 for this everyman play.
In the play, Miller writes, "Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But hes' a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him."
Gottfried writes, "For Miller, realism meant facing the facts and being not just pragmatic but sane. Implicit for him is that without sanity, intelligence is of little use." Exploring the fine line between sanity and what comes after, he explores ordinary people in "The Crucible," telling a journalist that "it is rare in history or in life that you get such a complete heroic tragedy occurring in reality.
Questions of Influence
While he was creating groundbreaking works of art, Miller never seemed to forget the social realities of life. As Gotfried writes, "Art for him had to be responsible to social realities." It is perhaps, then, most telling that one of the strongest influences on his work was Norweigian writer Henrik Ibsen, who was famous for writing about social issues in revolutionary ways.
Miller once confided to a friend that "through the guise of Ibsen... I have managed to say things I wouldn't dare say alone." Besides, he never understood criticism that his plays were "too much like Ibsen or too realistic."
Drawing from a riches to rags childhood, Miller works with autobiographical elements in his literature. Gottfried explores many of those elements through this fascinating and insightful biography. At one point, Gottfried quotes Miller's sister, Joan, as saying, "Arthur carries scars from that time. It doesn't take a great observer to notice that. It is a memory, in his nerves, and in his muscles, that he just can't get rid of."
Whatever tragedies he experienced in is own life, Miller certainly was able to transform many of those experiences into triumph in the power of his works of literature.
While he was creating groundbreaking works of art, Miller never seemed to forget the social realities of life. As Gotfried writes, "Art for him had to be responsible to social realities." It is perhaps, then, most telling that one of the strongest influences on his work was Norweigian writer Henrik Ibsen, who was famous for writing about social issues in revolutionary ways.
Miller once confided to a friend that "through the guise of Ibsen... I have managed to say things I wouldn't dare say alone." Besides, he never understood criticism that his plays were "too much like Ibsen or too realistic."
Drawing from a riches to rags childhood, Miller works with autobiographical elements in his literature. Gottfried explores many of those elements through this fascinating and insightful biography. At one point, Gottfried quotes Miller's sister, Joan, as saying, "Arthur carries scars from that time. It doesn't take a great observer to notice that. It is a memory, in his nerves, and in his muscles, that he just can't get rid of."
Whatever tragedies he experienced in is own life, Miller certainly was able to transform many of those experiences into triumph in the power of his works of literature.
As Gottfried says, "there are... more than theatrical reasons for telling his life story. Arthur Miller became a singular and representative figure of his era." Miller's controversial life and his classic works will certainly not soon be forgotten in the pages of literary history.
