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The Philadelphia Story Study Guide & Plot Synopsis

This Study Guide consists of approximately 60 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Philadelphia Story.
This section contains 1,312 words
(approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page)
Purchase our The Philadelphia Story Study Guide

The Philadelphia Story Summary & Study Guide Description

The Philadelphia Story Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the following sections:

This detailed literature summary also contains Further Reading and a Free Quiz on The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry.

The Philadelphia Story Plot Summary

Preview of The Philadelphia Story Summary:

Act I

The play opens with an intimate family scene between the long-suffering Margaret Lord and her two daughters, Tracy and Dinah. The three women are busy planning Tracy's wedding to George Kittredge. She is marrying in style, with a pre-nuptial party and a stylish reception for five hundred people.

When Tracy briefly exits, Dinah tells her mother that Dexter is in town. Dinah is clearly fond of Dexter, and seems to regret her sister's divorce. Later in the scene, Dinah telephones Dexter and issues him an invitation to the festivities.

Tracy's impending marriage and her past alliance are discussed in light of the failed marriage of her parents. Tracy despises her father for his poor treatment of her mother, but her mother tends to blame herself. Their disagreement seems to parallel Tracy's attitude towards her own failed first marriage. Was her first husband, Dexter, at fault? Or was she?...
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This section contains 1,312 words
(approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page)
Purchase our The Philadelphia Story Study Guide
Copyrights
The Philadelphia Story from BookRags and Gale's For Students Series. ©2005-2006 Thomson Gale, a part of the Thomson Corporation. All rights reserved.
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