Play Guide [1.2MB PDF] - Arizona Theatre Company

STUDYING?
WHAT IS LAURA STUDYING?
In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda has arranged for Laura
to study at Rubicam’s Business College. Such places were
common in the 1930s when The Glass Menagerie takes
place. Women attending colleges like Rubicam’s would
have studied the art of stenography (which is defi ned as
“The art or process of writing in shorthand.”) Women like
Laura would have learned stenography and typing skills so
they could work as secretaries. Just what is shorthand and
why were typing skills so valuable?
Of all the different types of shorthand Gregg shorthand is the
most common. Gregg is a form of stenography that was invented
by John Robert Gregg in 1888. Like cursive longhand, it is
completely based on elliptical fi gures and lines that bisect them.
Gregg shorthand is still the most popular form of pen stenography
in the United States. While shorthand used to be a valued skill in
a secretary, the necessity for it gradually declined in the business
world with the invention of dictation machines, shorthand
machines, and the practice of executives writing their own letters
on their personal computers.
The rules that govern Gregg shorthand were fi rst published in
two small paper-covered pamphlets in 1888 and 1893, with the
fi rst book form being published in1897. Throughout the early
and middle parts of the twentieth century, Gregg shorthand was a
popular way for a person to take dictation. Being skilled at Gregg
could result in a well-paying job, especially for young ladies
who needed or wanted to work outside of the home. Amanda’s
desire for Laura to learn Gregg shorthand coincides with her
desire for Laura to learn to type. These two skills were extremely
marketable in a world in which many people did not possess
such skills. Typing was a particularly coveted commodity before
the advent of the personal computer. Businessmen often needed
1930s Typewriter
Gregg shorthand symbols
The Glass Menagerie
letters typed, but did not type themselves so they employed
skilled typists to use shorthand to “take a letter” and then
prepare a typed letter. Laura becoming profi cient in skills
such as these could create a situation in which she could
provide for herself and Amanda without necessarily needing
Tom’s income as well. However, Laura’s parylzing shyness
results in her being unable to train to master either of these
skills.
-adapted from wikipedia.com
Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 16