Historical, social and cultural contexts SND
- Created by: Percabeth
- Created on: 22-05-18 22:06
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- Historical, Social & Cultural Contexts SND
- 'the American Century' & 'the American Dream' concepts fully rooted in cultural landscape of post-WW2 era
- US century repre. US as a kind of Good Samaritan, helping other countries to achieve democracy, progress & economic security
- US dream way of uniting the various different groups of immigrants who came to US in 19th & early 20thc to create a cohesive national ethos
- over time many writers became preoccupied with showing how US dream had died or that it'd only been an illusion in the first place
- in suggesting society is an even playing field, responsibility for personal success or failure fell solely on individual
- TW as well as dramatists Arthur Miller & Eugene O'Neill, set out to question the cultural values many of thier contemporaries held dear
- over time many writers became preoccupied with showing how US dream had died or that it'd only been an illusion in the first place
- The 'American South'
- even today, has a distinctive way of life & its culture, food, literature & music have influenced the rest of the country immensely
- cultural melting pot - mix of Native American, European settlers & imported African slaves had maj. impact on its history & collective psyche
- after Civil War, & abolishment of slavery, industrialised North grew more powerful (politically & economically) than the still largely agricultural South
- after Civ. War, many white Southerners bought into enduring nostalgic mythic rep. of South in its ante-bellum heyday as a haven of peace, prosperity & chivalrous gallantry
- completely different story for black Southerners
- after Civ. War, many white Southerners bought into enduring nostalgic mythic rep. of South in its ante-bellum heyday as a haven of peace, prosperity & chivalrous gallantry
- Gender Roles
- WW2 women used to filling men's roles in workplace & gained considerable freedom & financial independence
- for while, seemed possible for women to pursue own version of American Dream
- had to give up their jobs for the men coming back
- gov. wanted pop. boom - wanted them to be mothers
- had decreased due to deaths of soldiers
- gov. wanted pop. boom - wanted them to be mothers
- had to give up their jobs for the men coming back
- WW2 & its political changes notable for their omission
- only Stan.'s brief reference to the Salerno landings
- omission characteristic of TW's plays
- seems to emphasise that the plays exist in their own world & time
- resulting claustrophobic quality contributes to dramtic tension
- seems to emphasise that the plays exist in their own world & time
- for while, seemed possible for women to pursue own version of American Dream
- many of TW's female characters seem psychologically trapped in cultural pragmatics of the Old South
- Blanche & Stella's dependence on men exposes attitudes to women during transition from old world-new
- B's search for a Southern trad. gentleman will only lead to madness because there's none left
- Blanche, Stella & Eunice see male companions as only means to achieving happiness & depend on men for economic & ppyschological reasons
- when Stan. uses Napleonic Code to try & muscle in on Ste.'s inheritance, seems exploitive yet B's escape plan (Shep Huntleigh) still involves playing a submisiive & dependent role
- Blanche & Stella's dependence on men exposes attitudes to women during transition from old world-new
- WW2 women used to filling men's roles in workplace & gained considerable freedom & financial independence
- 'the American Century' & 'the American Dream' concepts fully rooted in cultural landscape of post-WW2 era
- many Polish immigrants before 1940& 50s were mostly uneducated labourers who were looked down upon
- in the final version, Stan. became Polish-US
- change made to emphasise class element in the play
- the realism of the setting (a shabby apartment in a rundown house & characters (factory workers & a schoolteacher out of a job) contrasts with the unexpected feasts of lyricism in the dialogue & the high drama of the last 3 scenes
- groundbreaking
- 'old' gotten rid of 'new'
- it's 'won'
- but the victory doesn't seem like a good thing to the audience
- it's 'won'
- men rose up the ranks quickly
- WW2
- had a lot of power/respect
- then had to come back to a lowly job
- Stan.'s aggressive nature & violence could be him trying to combat this
- then had to come back to a lowly job
- as poker involves concealing a poor hand by not showing any disappointment, is trad. thought of as a tough, masculine game
- characters in this play often conceal their emotions or the facts
- Elysian Fields equivalent of paradise
- ironic that it's a rundown street
- war heroes often went there
- Stan. a war hero
- confirms that B is invading his space
- Stan. a war hero
- B obsessed with death
- Rosenkavalier is hero of Strauss' comic-romantic opera by the same name (1911)
- hints at B's culture & liking for fantasy
- "my Rosenkavalier"
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