Maternal Representations in Twenty-First Century Broadway Musicals: Stage Mothers analyzes Broadway productions within the context of their presentation and assessment of motherhood and the variety of roles for mother figures. Using a frame of feminist and psychoanalytical positions, Gina MacKenzie establishes, defines, and interprets mother figures in contemporary Broadway, according to original categorizations of the absent, inconsequential, and overbearing mothers. MacKenzie considers how and why commercial representation of mother figures are limited and predominantly negative, even as fiction, poetry, and other forms of drama offer a much wider and progressive view of the varieties of motherhood possible in society, asserting the need for greater representation of mother figures in commercial musical theatre today.

"Interpretation of Dreams," by Sigmund Freud, is part of the "Barnes & Noble Classics"" "series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of "Barnes & Noble Classics": New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars Biographies of the authors Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events Footnotes and endnotes Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work Comments by other famous authors Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations Bibliographies for further reading Indices & Glossaries, when appropriateAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. "Barnes & Noble Classics "pulls together a constellation of influences--biographical, historical, and literary--to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. Claiming he had discovered the "royal road to the unconscious," Sigmund Freud published "The Interpretation of Dreams" at the turn of the twentieth century, and thus laid the foundation for his innovative technique of psychoanalysis. Largely ignored at first, the book would eventually be considered Freud's most important work, one that, like Darwin's "The Origin of Species," revolutionized the way human beings view themselves. The raw material for "The Interpretation of Dreams" was provided by Freud himself. Spurred on by the death of his father, hebegan analyzing his own dreams, in the process recreating lost childhood memories and uncovering the roots of his own neuroses. He concluded that dreams were filled with latent meaning, their bizarre imagery and peculiar narratives concealing deep-seated, instinctual motives and desires. For example, his own problems stemmed from a repressed desire for his mother and hostility towards his father--the now-famous Oedipal complex. By revealing how the seemingly trivial nonsense of dreams reflect important personal issues in the dreamer's present and past life, Freud created a key that unlocked the vital secrets of the unconscious mind. A fascinating and beautifully written book, "The Interpretation of Dreams" is an indefinable masterpiece that helped shape the mind of the twentieth century. Daniel T. O'Hara is Professor of English and first holder of the Mellon Chair in Humanities at Temple University. He is the author of five books, most recently "Empire Burlesque,"