"American Playwright Susan Glaspell - a contemporary of Eugene O'Neill - was highly acclaimed and widely known in her era, then drifted into obscurity. Glaspell wrote plays, novels, and short stories and is perhaps best known for her widely anthologized short story "A Jury of Her Peers" and its dramatic counterpart, Trifles. In recent years she has become the object of increasing scholarly attention, particularly among feminist critics who have sought to restore her work to a central place in the American literary canon.". "Susan Glaspell in Context not only informs readers about the dramatic work of this key American author but also places it within its complex and fascinating context: the worlds of Greenwich Village and Provincetown bohemia, of the American frontier, of American modernism. Asserting that Glaspell and her work can best be understood through such contextualization, J. Ellen Gainor examines the theatrical, cultural, political, social, historical, and biographical climates in which Glaspell's dramas were created." "This accessible study of an important and neglected author draws upon a range of critical approaches. It will appeal to readers interested in gender studies and feminism, theater history, cultural history, and American studies."--BOOK JACKET.