Customer Reviews

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible": A Study Guide from Gale's "Drama for Students" (Volume 03, Chapter 7)

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To address the previous reviewer, this is marketed as being for students, the series is called "Drama for Students", and there is nothing in the description to imply that it would include lesson plans or quizzes. It is a "souped up Cliff's Notes", and it claims to be nothing more. (It could certainly be of use to a teacher who actually wants to know more about a book they are teaching, of course).

This is a small book, with a scant 21 pages devoted to the play (the rest is information about the series, including a helpful section on how to cite the publication in a bibliography). The contents consist of a brief discussion of the historical context of both the setting and writing of the play, the author's biography, summary of the action in each act, 1-2 paragraph descriptions of every character (not just the major ones), what film/audio productions have been made, themes, essay topics, the style of writing, comparisons of issues from 1692, 1953, and the present, a critical overview of the play (and film), three reviews/essays about the play, and a bibliography & suggestions for further reading. This is a lot of information in a very small package.

This would be a great book for a high school student or college undergraduate who wants more background on the book or who needs to write a paper about it. It also would be a good resource for a teacher who wants a quick overview of the work in context, perhaps sparking ideas for lessons. It isn't as in-depth as a longer critical work would be, but it is of a length that is easily digestible and not intimidating while being far more informative than most study guides, particularly regarding the attention given to characters beyond Abigail Williams and John Proctor.

This product is touted as being full of information, which it is. However, it's next to useless for the busy classroom teacher: no lesson plans, no tests or quizzes, and only one small section with essay topics.

Save your money. Don't buy this unless you need a souped-up version of Cliff's Notes to study for a test. This is not helpful to the teacher except for context, which is often skipped in high school due to time constraints.

This product is touted as being full of information, which it is. However, it's next to useless for the busy classroom teacher: no lesson plans, no tests or quizzes, and only one small section with essay topics.

Save your money. Don't buy this unless you need a souped-up version of Cliff's Notes to study for a test. This is not helpful to the teacher except for context, which is often skipped in high school due to time constraints.