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The undercurrent: A one act play: Play Guide and Free Edition

The undercurrent: A one act play: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

Published by Pop Culture Files••2 min read•Automatically generated · review not guaranteed
AI-generated editorial illustration — not a photograph of the subject
AI-generated editorial illustration — not a photograph of the subject

The undercurrent: A one act play is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Ehlert, Fay (1886–1973).

Catalogue synopsis

Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:

"The undercurrent" by Fay Ehlert is a one-act play written in the early 20th century. Set in a New York tenement, it probes the harm wrought by a domineering father and the fragile hope extended by a sympathetic social worker. The focus is the Fishyer family—Pa, Ma, Annie, and Emil—plus a prying neighbor whose gossip stirs trouble. Expect a tense, compassionate slice of life about fear, judgment, and the longing to be understood. The opening of the play situates us in the Fishyers’ cramped basement kitchen as Ma, taut with worry, waits for seventeen-year-old Annie while snow falls outside. A sharp-tongued neighbor barges in hinting at bad news, and Pa returns, gruff, punctual, and controlling, quoting Scripture about training children as he demands supper. A social worker, Miss Page from the Morals Court, arrives; to placate Pa and protect Annie, Ma nervously pretends Annie is employed by her and dutifully turns over “earnings.” As Annie slips in late, the room’s tension tightens: Pa’s rigid authority, the neighbor’s insinuations, and Miss Page’s quiet firmness establish the central conflict that will test this fearful household.

Book and edition facts

  • Title: The undercurrent: A one act play
  • Author credits: Ehlert, Fay (1886–1973)
  • Catalogue language: English

Catalogue subjects

  • Abusive men -- Drama
  • Dialect drama
  • Domestic drama
  • Dysfunctional families -- Drama
  • Families -- Drama
  • One-act plays
  • Young women -- Conduct of life -- Drama

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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.

Source notes

Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.

Sources

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