Context Streetcar Flashcards
(14 cards)
In the opening stage directions, Williams notes there is ‘easy intermingling of races’ in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Why would Blanche find this alien?
She’s from the South where they used slavery to advance the economy
What is the term ‘new South’ used to describe in literature?
It is the term used to describe the South after the Civil War when slavery was abolished and the southern states began to experience the industrialization of the North
(It was a time of great social upheaval , immigration and shifting attitudes)
Why was the Old South falling into decline?
Following the end of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, the Old South began to steadily decline
Plantations no longer relied on free labour to profitable and this was no longer available, the way of life enjoyed by families such as the DuBois fell into decay
What does Belle Reve stand for?
‘beautiful dream’
What is the shrinking of the Belle Reve estates symbolic of?
The shrinking of the Old South until only the house and graveyard remained
Why is the symbol of the locomotive important?
It is significant as it represents modernity; the fast and intrusive changes that the Old South underwent after the American Civil War
Symbolises the dominance and inevitability of Stanley’s victory over Blanche
First performance
1947
Tennessee Williams’ sister
Because his family life was so poor, he and his sister became very close in the early years. His sister Rose suffered from schizophrenia and became increasingly worse as she got older, eventually resulting in a full frontal lobotomy, which Williams always regretted doing nothing to stop. The results were disastrous meaning she was institutionalised.
Women in Streetcar
reside in a world in which they are expected to uphold an ideal of grateful subservience while providing a comfortable environment and serving as the physical outlet for their husband’s desires. Women should be ascetic, restrained, passive, vulnerable and impervious to sexual desire.
Effects of American Civil War
The South was defeated and slavery was officially abolished in 1865 and the industrialised North grew both politically and economically in comparison to the largely agricultural South.
Aristotelian Tragedy
Traditional Greek tragedy was said by Aristotle to have a change in circumstance for the central character which could be good to bad fortune or vice versa. The central character should not be good or bad but one who has a ‘fatal flaw’ which brings on their downfall, which also makes the character much more like real people, making the play more relatable. The object of a tragedy is to arouse feelings of wonder and awe in the audience.
Southern Gothic
a mode or genre prevalent in literature from the early 19th century to this day. Characteristics of Southern Gothic include the presence of irrational, horrific, and transgressive thoughts, desires, and impulses; grotesque characters; dark humor, and an overall angst-ridden sense of alienation.
brings to light the extent to which the vision of the idyllic South rests on massive repressions of the region’s historical realities: slavery, racism, and patriarchy.
texts mark a Freudian return of the repressed: the region’s historical realities take concrete forms in the shape of ghosts or grotesque figures that highlight all that has been unsaid in the official version of southern history.
engages with the discrepancy between perceived, heteronormative normalcy and the repressed realities beneath that assumption.
Memento mori, or remembrances of death abound, with death and decay a constant presence and a lurking threat
When was it written?
1946
How did William’s mother inspire blanche?
She was a Southern Belle
