Abstract
In the first book-length study of Annie Baker, Amy Muse guides readers through her critically acclaimed plays and other work. She illuminates their intellectual and ethical themes by contextualizing them with the other works of theatre, art, theology, and psychology that Baker read while writing. Through close discussions of her plays, this book immerses readers in Baker's attunement to everyday language, her themes of loneliness, desire, empathy, and storytelling, and her innovations with stage time. Enriched by interviews and engaging essays by three scholars, this is a companionable guide that deepens the reader's knowledge and appreciation of Baker's dramatic invention.