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Plays

Susan Glaspell

  • Drama
  • Book language: English
  • 202 pages

A collection of early twentieth-century plays by Susan Glaspell, including the one-act Trifles and works such as The Outside, The Verge, and Inheritors. The plays often centre on women’s lives, rural isolation, and social pressures, with Trifles turning on a farmhouse investigation. Worth listening for sharp dialogue and humane insight into ordinary lives.

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Text source: gutenberg.org · The work is in the public domain.

Opening of the book

Plays by
Susan Glaspell
TRIFLES
THE OUTSIDE
THE VERGE
INHERITORS

TRIFLES

First performed by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre,

Provincetown, Mass., August 8, 1916.

GEORGE HENDERSON (County Attorney)

HENRY PETERS (Sheriff)

LEWIS HALE, A neighboring farmer

MRS PETERS

MRS HALE

SCENE: The kitchen is the now abandoned farmhouse of JOHN WRIGHT, a gloomy kitchen, and left without having been put in order—unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the bread-box, a dish-towel on the table

—other signs of incompleted work. At the rear the outer door opens and the

SHERIFF comes in followed by the COUNTY ATTORNEY and HALE. The

SHERIFF and HALE are men in middle life, the COUNTY ATTORNEY is a young man; all are much bundled up and go at once to the stove. They are followed by the two women—the SHERIFF's wife first; she is a slight wiry woman, a thin nervous face. MRS HALE is larger and would ordinarily be called more comfortable looking, but she is disturbed now and looks fearfully about as she enters. The women have come in slowly, and stand close together near the door.

COUNTY ATTORNEY: (rubbing his hands) This feels good. Come up to the fire, ladies.

MRS PETERS: (after taking a step forward) I'm not—cold.

SHERIFF: (unbuttoning his overcoat and stepping away from the stove as if to mark the beginning of official business) Now, Mr Hale, before we move things about, you explain to Mr Henderson just what you saw

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Contents

  1. Plays by
  2. Susan Glaspell
  3. TRIFLES THE OUTSIDE THE VERGE INHERITORS
  4. TRIFLES
  5. THE OUTSIDE
  6. THE VERGE
  7. INHERITORS
  8. THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE

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