User:Lschex8/MissFirecrackerContest/Litreview

1. Klein, A. "THEATER; Poignant, Daft 'Miss Firecracker.'" New York Times 24 July 1988.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/24/nyregion/theater-poignant-daft-miss-firecracker.html?scp=4&sq=the%20miss%20firecracker%20contest&st=cse

Summary: Beth Henley, from Jackson, Mississippi, produced a strange and compassionate comedy "The Miss Firecracker Contest" after her first in in 1979 "Crimes of the Heart." The play is about a determined and eccentric girl with the help of her friends and family trying to win the Miss Firecracker Contest so she can leave Brookhaven, Mississippi. The set was very basic because it was a moving show, and casting flaws included Courtenay Collins's performance of Popeye and Kevin Chamberlain's of Delmount. Constance Ray and Linda Miles both performed their parts admirably as Carnelle and Elain. The play is reminiscent of "Midsummer Night's Dream" and this makes up for Henley's imagery of deformed animals or humans. Despite the flaws, Henley has produced something that touches us all.

Strengths and Weaknesses: The problem with this article is that it's a lot of opinions packed into one report of the production. On the plus side, it is a review that is contemporary with the time this play was being put on originally, and this can be used as support to identify the reception of the production by the public. It is NOT a recent interpretation, so we need to be on the look out for more recent articles on the production and the playwright in general.

2. Plunka, G. A. The plays of Beth Henley: a critical study. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2005.

URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=6qhGX-xAFFgC&pg=PA86&lpg=PA86&dq=the+miss+firecracker+contest+critical&source=bl&ots=KVc41T66hg&sig=mFE-iQOSJOnoy19gPRIhI7vLLu0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=fwguT83aMc7LtgeT1rnXDw&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=the%20miss%20firecracker%20contest%20critical&f=false

Summary: Some critics believe that Henley intended to criticize beauty pageants and female dependence on the male's approval, but Henley actually used the beauty contest to exemplify Carnelle's desire for approval from the world, not just men. In fact she feels guilty for her previous promiscuous actions and tries to shake her nickname "Miss Hot Tamale" by leaving the town in such an impressive fashion. Henley had the perfect opportunity to make a statement about feminism but chose not to. Carnelle suffers from neurosis and must conform to her idea of the perfect woman (arriving in the form of Elain). Carnelle has been abandoned by almost everyone for her entire life and spends the rest of her life trying to be wanted by everyone (Multiple Personality Disorder). The play shows how cultural expectations ruin happiness and this results in modern neurosis.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Again, this is a lot of opinion, although well-supported opinion. This source references many other sources that we need to look into (yay, we have a direction) and also uses many quotes from Henley herself, so it's good that we can keep the playwright's view of her own play in mind so that we don't overreach and start filling in blanks that we have no business filling in. Solid chapter that breaks down the development of Carnelle's character as well as her response to other characters and even diagnoses her with neurosis, implying that Henley was hoping to make a statement about identity, pride, and a sense of "belonging to the world." Elain is also diagnosed, and so this article will be very useful in our different character sections of the Wikipedia page.

3. http://buchananarts.com/site/missfirecracker.html Summary: This website provides the name, age, and basic description of Carnelle, Popeye, Elaine, Delmount, Mac Sam, and Tessy. Strengths and Weaknesses: This site has no apparent bias, and it provides a good model that we could employ on our page. The major issue is that the credibility of the site is lacking. I find that credible sources on this play in general are very difficult to find!

4. http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3420500019/miss-firecracker-contest.html Summary: This particular website includes author background, plot summary broken up by scene, character descriptions, topics for further study, and themes. The whole play is summarized in a matter of paragraphs. Strengths and Weaknesses: This website is rather thorough and includes detailed characters descriptions and plot summaries. There is no evident bias. I found it interesting that they included "topics for further study"; the questions and issues they posed were interesting. The site seems to be an online copy of an encyclopedia for drama students. The major issue with this site is that it is incomplete; the full text can apparently be found in an encyclopedia that might be available at the library.

5.James D. Hart and Phillip W. Leininger. "Henley, Beth." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 8 Feb. 2012.

Summary: Beth Henley was born in Mississippi; Crimes of the Heart was her most famous play, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1980. Other notable plays by Beth Henley include Am I Blue, The Wake of Jamey Foster , The Debutante Ball , The Lucky Spot , and L-Play.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Very short and raw summary of Beth Henley's life; I thought it was nice to reference her other plays, but I prefer source #4 for getting basic info on Henley.

6. Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 255. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008. p183-285. http://galenet.galegroup.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/servlet/LitCrit?d5=d7&vrsn=1.0&srs=ALL&locID=lln_alsu&d1=CLCX_255_0004&b1=KE&srchtp=b&c=1&stp=DateDescend&n=10&b0=beth+henley&d3=32&d4=0.25&dd=0&ste=10&docNum=FJ2850450004&df=f&d7=183

Summary: Beth Henley is known for her mixture of comedy and compassion, especially in the lives of United States southerners. She often uses a female protagonist who struggles to define herself beyond her family or romantic ties to do so. Henley's characters are known to be realistic in their struggle for identification and transformation, which creates an undertone of optimism in her plays accompanied by comic relief. Her characters have "powerful personal voices" because of witty dialogue and colloquial southern language. Carnelle tries to distance herself from her past promiscuity by attempting to become Miss Firecracker, again aligning with Henley's central construct of the female character attempting to redefine herself while maintaining pop culture's obsession with youth and beauty. Henley has been consistently praised for her insights into the female psyche and her emphasis on the power of meaningful emotional connections.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Great source for the general structure of Henley's characters and plots, and gives us context with which to work with Miss Firecracker. It would be great to get more sites like this because it details the critical acclaim objectively and without giving a comment on the play itself (ideal for a Wikipedia source).

7. Joel Colodner. The Miss Firecracker Contest by Beth Henley.Theatre Journal, Vol. 34, No. 2, Insurgency in American Theatre (May, 1982), pp. 260-261.

Summary: The Miss Firecracker Contest exemplifies issues of self-esteem and personal identity in Brookhaven, Mississippi with eccentrically comedic characters. Elain, Carnelle, and Delmount have all grown up under Ronnelle, a mother-children relationship that appears to be quite unhealthy and possibly drives these characters to feelings of confusion in their little worlds. Delmount is a hopeless romantic, Carnelle has a tarnished reputation as "Miss Hot Tamale," while Elain (while maintaining an air of perfection) is extremely narcissistic and still looking for her late mother's approval. Popeye arrives on the scene to contrast Carnelle and Elain, a "dreamy country girl" who sews Carnelle's costumes.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Short article, but gives good character insight to serve as a basis for further analysis in our Wikipedia article.

8 Paige, Linda Rohrer. "Beth Henley: Overview." Feminist Writers. Ed. Pamela Kester-Shelton. Detroit: St. James Press, 1996. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. http://ic.galegroup.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/ic/bic1/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=BIC1&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CH1420003906&mode=view&

Summary: A biography of Beth Henley, a summary/analysis of her play Crimes of the Heart, and a critical review of Miss Firecracker Contest from a feminist perspective. Goes into detail about how despite the fact that Carnelle lost the beauty pageant, she won at the game of life. Has an excerpt of the play, an exchange between Elain and Delmount. Finishes with brief descriptions of Henley's other works and her impact on the feminist movement in literature.

Strengths and Weaknesses: Gives a detailed account of Henley. Very thorough analysis of the characters and the meaning/symbolism behind the play. Actual excerpt of the play is included. Obviously very opinionated/biased with respect to feminism that somewhat deters the original perspective one might have of the play.

9. Rich, F. "Theater:'Firecracker,' A Beth Henley Comedy." The New York Times. 28 May 1984.

Summary: A review of the original production of Miss Firecracker Contest. Describes the play by individual acts in terms of actors, set, costumes, and script. Interesting observation made: despite the lightheartedness of the play, the characters/ situations are actually very dark and depressing. Provides for a number of juxtapositions. The article has an overall approving nature, seems as though the critic likes the play in spite of himself.

Strengths/Weaknesses: Very detailed description of the play. Gives names of the original actors. Provides perspective for how the play was received when it was first produced. Sarcastic tone in the article though. very opinionated.