Suppressed Desires

by Susan Glaspell, George Cran Cooke, William-Alan Landes (Editor)

Classic short satire of psychoanalysis, as a woman addicted to therapy learns that a little self-delusion may not be a bad thing...

Genres: Plays, Drama

50 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

About the author

Susan Keating Glaspell (July 1, 1876 – July 27, 1948) was an American Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actress, director, novelist, biographer and poet. She was a founding member of the Provincetown Players, one of the most important collaboratives in the development of modern drama in the United States. She also served in the Works Progress Administration as Midwest Bureau Director of the Federal Theater Project.
Her novels and plays are committed to developing deep, sympathetic characters, to understanding 'life' in its complexity. Though realism was the medium of her fiction, she was also greatly interested in philosophy and religion. Many of her characters make principled stands.
As part of the Provincetown Players, she arranged for the first ever reading of a play by Eugene O'Neill.

Reviews

[Drew]

Susan Glaspell's second play on Broadway is the type you'd associate with Kaufman and Hart, a silly kitchen sink comedy in which the wife's obsession with Freud leads to a visiting sibling confessing subliminal desires for her sister's husband. As psychoanalytic satire goes, Glaspell's one-act is amusingly light so given its small cast and single set, I'd say a revival is well overdue. Glaspell had 8 shows on the Great White Way and won a Pulitzer for "Alison's House" yet this co-founder of the Provincetown Players has all but vanished into oblivion. Rectify please.

[Emily Giuffre]

I was afraid to read this when seeing the title but Susan Glaspell gives a humorous account of the psycho-analysis era and the absurdity of Freud. I find her writing extremely advanced and insightful for her time. She makes you believe that she wrote it today. She writes with the same power and conviction of any man at the time, or even now, but not in the least feminist. This play is a real delight!

[Rasha Gazzaz]

Compact one act play mocking Freudian pyschology. Worth a read!

[Roxie]

(2.5) Funny and entertaining, though nothing extraordinary.

[Abhishek Pathak]

Hilarious comedy. Definitely readable.

[Jason]

An uproarious look at one woman's obsession with the new fad of psychoanalysis and the havoc she inadvertently sets loose on her husband and sister. The subtle come-uppence she receives at the end is not to be missed!

[Adam Carrico]

A very enjoyable one-room play. It’s funnier when you imagine the context of performing this to the type of people who would attend a Provincetown show in 1920.

[Jeremy]

A wearisome freud enthusiast learns that some desires are better left suppressed. A playful critique of pop psychoanalysis.

[EJ Paras]

Step Hen?!

It's all kinda crazy how I got involved in this show with a few people I really care about. The lore that happens because of this play... man, I'm just grateful.

[Sam]

A gem I picked up from the library. Surprisingly enjoyable

[sophies world]

3.75/5

Really funny and clever in typical Glaspell manner. This reads as such a testament of its time when psychoanalysis and especially Freud was all the rage!