A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) are major plays by Tennessee Williams, one of America's most significant dramatists. They both received landmark productions and are widely-studied and performed around the world. The plays have also inspired popular screen adaptations and have generated a body of important and lasting scholarship.

In this indispensable Reader's Guide, Thomas P. Adler:

* charts the development of the criticism surrounding both works, from the mid-twentieth century through to the present day
* provides a readable assessment of the key debates and issues
* examines a range of theoretical approaches from biographical and New Criticism to feminist and queer theory.

In so doing, Adler helps us to appreciate why these plays continue to fascinate readers, theatregoers and directors alike.