streetcar ao3 Flashcards
(23 cards)
biographical context: Rose Williams
- Rose williams was Tennessee Williams’ sister
- was sexually promiscuous
- diagnosed with hysteria, institutionalised by their southern belle mother and had one of the first prefrontal lobotomies (1938 electro-convulsive therapy, 1941 lobotomies common therapy, 1946 mental health act)
what was Williams renowned for writing?
his ability to write complex, vulnerable and fragile female characters
where did Williams himself live for a while?
New orleans - a liberal and diverse city
generic Williams context
- he was openly homosexual
- He was a black man
- he suffered from depression
- he was an alcoholic
Williams’ parents?
- dad was a travelling salesman and an alcoholic
- mother was a southern belle
- they had an unhappy, tumultuous relationship
What did Williams see when he lived in New Orleans?
two streetcars named ‘desire’ and ‘cemeteries’
what is an epigraph and what does the epigraph include/mean? (Hart Crane, the Broken Tower)
an epigraph suggests the theme of a book.
- “a desperate choice”, Hart Crane was homosexual and tried to suppress it in a heterosexual relationship and later killed himself by jumping off a boat -> character of Allen
- the ‘desperate choice’ could also be referring to Blanche (having to come to New Orleans) and Stella (having to stay with Stanley)
Features of a modern tragedy?
- limited places in the plot (the house)
- harsh realities, anti-heroes, psychological emphasis and breakdown
- modern tragedies focus on the common man rather than a man of noble birth
What’s the american dream?
The dream of moving to America as an immigrant and finding work + making a life
- it included ideas of meritocracy, heavily capitalist ideology, promotion of consumerism and buying out of desire, which immigrants were exploited by.
what’s passionate vs self made manhood?
passionate = conspicuous (visible) manhood, physical and assertive - Stanley
self made = traditional, providing for family (Mitch)
What does the southern gothic genre focus on?
- mental distress and supernatural phenomena
- repressed trauma
- past haunting present
Old south?
- Old south: Blanche - Pre Civil War, based on slave labour, plantations and inherited wealth
- Old southern values, manners, etiquette, Southern Belles and Chivalrous gentlemen
New South?
Stella - Post civil war, social change - the abolishment of slavery and decline of plantations
- declining economy
- more equality, bridge to social change
New America?
Stanley
- industrialisation
- class mobility
- immigration and racial integrations
- The american dream
what is plastic theatre?
the use of props, lighting, music, dress etc to have a symbolic impact in theatre
Who created plastic theatre and why?
Williams invented plastic theatre, inspired by Henrik Ibson (wrote A Dolls House), who was an expressionist that looked into realism, the gritty/dark aspects of life for the average person.
If i got a question on stagecraft, what would i talk about?
Everything at the playwrites disposal:
- entrances and exits
- the structure of the play
- props, music, costume
- Plastic theatre
- stage directions
Who is Huey Long and what scene is he mentioned in?
Scene 8
- Huey Long was a US political figure, the governor of Louisiana - he gave working class people senses of power - “Every man is a king”
Context of the 1951 movie?
- Following the Hays code, many lines and crucial elements of the play were cut, they had to show that an immoral character got punishment so they didn’t show Stanley’s ‘win’ but rather had Stella run away with the baby. -> this shows the shocking horror of the actual ending and how it reflects real life struggles to leave cycles of abuse.
1951 cast (Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando context)
Brando used the new style of method acting
Leigh had won an oscar for playing a movie as a southern belle and then won another one for Streetcar
- The characters of Stanley and Blanche’s differences are emphasised with this casting
What literary award did the play win?
the Pulitzer Prize, the play was very well received
When Streetcar was first being performed in the USA, what did Williams refuse?
- it being played infront of segregated audiences
what Hollywood actor in the 1940s may have inspired Stanley’s character?
John Wayne, he was known as the epitome of masculinity - he didn’t cry, was aggressive etc
