Part of the function of this series, presumably, is to mitigate this very problem. In many respects, the middle period of a writer of Miller’s stature represents a critical conundrum: Having surpassed the early rush of creativity and innovation, and not yet having arrived at what Edward Said would call the fullness of a late style, the middle period may easily be overlooked. Clearly Miller’s most famous play, “Death of a Salesman” marks many of the traits that are extended in the 1964-1982 middle period, especially the social consciousness of “Playing for Time”-which tells the story of a Women’s Orchestra in Auschwitz-and the family drama of “The Price.” The release of volume two coincides nicely with the major production of “Death of a Salesman,” staring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, currently playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway.
Miller’s position as perhaps the foremost of American dramatists is suggested by the full treatment he receives within the Library of America Series (the only other dramatists given comparable consideration are Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams). Importantly, the collection includes many instances of Miller’s own lucid writings on his work, and the crafts of dramaturgy and acting, including reflections on several of the middle period plays. These sketches and shorter pieces give a particularly concise account of the experimentation and dramatic growth Miller sought in his middle period, following the enormous success of his early works. In addition, several of Miller’s one-act plays and sketches-such as “Fame” (1970), “I Think About You a Great Deal” (1982), “Some Kind of Love Story” (1982) and, published for the first time, “The Reason Why” (1970), are also included in this volume. The first volume in the series-“Arthur Miller: Collected Plays 1944-1961”-appeared in 2006, featuring landmark plays by Miller, including “All My Sons,” “A View from the Bridge,” “Death of a Salesman,” and “The Crucible.” These are the plays that cemented Miller’s place in the American theatrical canon, while the plays of 1964-1982 represent Miller’s middle period, including “After the Fall” (1964), “Incident at Vichy” (1964), “The Price” (1968), “ The Archbishop’s Ceiling,” and the teleplay “Playing for Time” (1980). This is one of those instances in which the book as an object asserts its own importance, since the look, feel, and heft-this volume alone runs to 848 pages-of the high-quality Library of America series is itself testimony to the cultural prominence of the authors included in its series. “Arthur Miller: Collected Plays 1964-1982,” edited by contemporary, award-winning playwright Tony Kushner, is the second volume of the planned three-volume Collected Arthur Miller from the Library of America.
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