One of the most highly regarded drama critics of the twentieth century, Clurman examines All My Sons in the context of the other plays of 1947, finding that the work "rouses and moves."

A dramatic critic eminent among dramatic critics recently wrote an article which suggested that plays "about something" were generally duds. The article was either very sly or very stupid. It was very sly insofar as it is unarguable that most plays the premise and sentiment of which we do not accept cannot please us. What was stupid in the article was to isolate "plays about something" into a special category of plays that are topical, political or, in some over-all manner, propaganda. Propaganda in the theatre may be defined as the other fellow's point of view or any position with which we disagree.

All plays are about something, whether or not they have an explicit...