A Raisin in the Sun

by Lorraine Hansberry

ISBN: 9781350470590

Published: 2025-07-24

A revised Student Edition of Lorraine Hansberry's iconic 1959 play - the first play produced on Broadway to be written by a Black woman. Alongside the play text itself, this edition contains commentary and notes by Isaiah Wooden, which consider the play's: > socio-historical context (including the Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the US) > major themes (including African-American identity, property ownership, and emergent Black feminist politics) > structure and devices (including mid-20th century reality family dramas, "genuine realism" and Hansberry's use of music, dance and song in the play) > production history (from the premiere production to the 2014 Broadway revival starring Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Dawn Walton's 2016 UK touring production) > engagement with the play (including contemporary "response" pieces such as Neighbors by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris and Beneatha's Place by Kwame Kwei-Armah) The notes...