Winner of two Obie Awards, a New York Drama Critics Award, and the
Pulitzer Prize, David Mamet is widely considered to be one of the most
prolific and powerful voices in contemporary American theater. A seminal
figure whose reputation as an innovative playwright and filmmaker
demands an appraisal of his thought and the evolution of his craft,
Mamet's commitment to the dynamic of ethics and ethnicity heavily
informs his work. Weasels and Wisemen is the first major study of
Mamet's work to investigate the moral vision and cultural poetics upon
which this playwright's vision is founded. Tracing the development of
Mamet's canon over a period of twenty years from his early unpublished
play Marranos through his most recent work, Leslie Kane examines the
subtle link between the moral vision and ethical behavior that
distinguishes Mamet's theater and film.