A TASTE OF HONEY – SHELAGH DELANEY

Shelagh Delaney’s 1958 play, written when she was only 19, brought the lives and struggles of northern, working‑class people onto the stage. Initially dividing critics—some of whom regarded it as “immature”—it went on to become one of the most defining plays of the twentieth century.

This Student Edition contains a commentary by Hannah Simpson, Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which explores the following themes in relation to the play:
– gender roles
– homosexuality
– race
– class
– youth
– 1950s notions of family

In addition, it looks at the play’s production history, different ways it has been staged, and critical reception; the form of kitchen‑sink and drawing‑room drama and to what extent the play conforms to or disrupts these models; 1950s Britain and what it was like; and the play’s ambiguous ending.