examining male behavior, speech, and interactions with one another, students
could extrapolate how Mamet defines American manhood and related myths
while also taking a position on whether the play supports or undermines his
definition.- In Glengarry Glen Ross Mamet examines the potentially destructive aspects
of the American dream by linking its promise of freedom, social equality,
and prosperity to the world of capitalism. In an interview Mamet explains
“We are finally reaching a pointwhere there is nothing left to exploit.... The
dream has nowhere to go so it has to start turning in on itself ” (Savran, p.
133). Most critical works about Mamet address his preoccupation with the
American dream. Students interested in pursuing this topic will do well to
consider the way the play evokes both “ideal” and “real” manifestations of the
American dream. Students might also consider the differences between what
Glengarry Highlands actually is and what it represents and its relation to the
American dream. Alternatively, students might consider comparing Mamet’s
vision of the degradation of the American dream to an earlier work such as
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman or to one by a Mamet contemporary, Sam
Shepard’s True West (1981) or August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson (1990, both
of which offer competing versions of the American dream.
RESOURCES
Primary Works
Leslie Kane, ed., David Mamet in Conversation (Ann Arbor: University of Michi-
gan Press, 2001).
Essential and comprehensive collection of interviews with Mamet, who is notori-
ous for his avoidance of them.
David Savran, “David Mamet,” in In Their Own Words: Contemporary Ameri-
can Playwrights (New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1988), pp.
132–144.
An 11 February 1987 interview in which Mamet discusses his influences, work,
and ideas that he is interested in; it is preceded by an overview of his life and
work.
Biography
Ira Nadel, David Mamet: A Life in the Theatre (New York: Palgrave, 2008).
A comprehensive biography exploring Mamet’s ideas about acting, directing, and
writing as well as key discussions about thematic issues and productions of his
work.
Criticism
Christopher Bigsby, ed., The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet (New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2004).
Essential collection of essays providing an excellent introduction to the plays
as well as discussions of Mamet as actor, director, and fiction writer. Benedict