Context Flashcards
History, New Orleans, Williams, Theatre, Culture, and Class
Historicist Approach
Looking at texts while considering the historical context of the time.
Deep South
States of America including (most notably): Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.
When was the play first performed?
1947.
Bourgeoisie
The middle class who follow conventional attitudes, and materialistic values.
What was happening with the Bourgeoisie in 1947?
They were fading away, making room for newer working-class, self-reliant attitudes.
What happened to New Orleans during, and post WW2?
New Orleans was a space for materials and troops, then became modernised post-war, getting rid of Southern distinctiveness.
When was the Antebellum Era?
1783-1861.
What was it like in the Deep South pre-Civil War?
Rural, agricultural economy, dependent on export trades of sugar, tobacco, cotton, grain, and rice. Class divide was deeply regimented, society dictated by an elite class - the wealthy plantation owners.
Plantations
Large estates with mansions and huge areas of land, dependent on slave labour.
What were styles like pre-Civil War?
Highly influenced from the wealthy English and French styles.
When was the American Civil War?
1861-1865.
What caused the Civil War?
Slavery. The Union in the North wanted to abolish slavery, while the Confederacy South were still reliant on slave labour, and thought of slaves as inferior.
What was the result of the Civil War?
The Union won the war. However, the image of the South and their racism was deeply ingrained.
What was happening in New Orleans in 1947?
Lots of multiculturalism, compared to the rest of the Deep South. Ideology centering around the American Dream. The upper-class lost their wealth.
The American Dream
People acknowledged that the working-class could achieve anything if they worked hard enough. People strived for the ideals of suburbanism and consumerism.
New Orleans Culture in 1947
Birthplace of Jazz music, multiculturalism, large population of European and African immigrants. Lots of Bohemians and ex-service men and war-workers lived here, due to cheap rents. Buildings were derelict and cheap.
When and where was Tennessee Williams born?
Born in Tennessee, lived from 1911-1983.
What was Williams’ childhood like?
His father was an alcoholic, and his parents had an unhappy marriage. His father was a working-class salesman, and his mother was a Southern Belle. He was bedridden as a child for two years, making him reserved, and bullied. He was close to his sister, who was eventually institutionalised for mental health issues. Williams was gay, which was considered a mental illness at the time.
Which character has Williams compared himself to and why?
Williams said that he is Blanche Dubois, as they both share hysteria, and the tendency to lie, specifically about their age.
Where did Williams live before success?
New Orleans - he found it decaying yet charming.
What did Williams say about the South?
‘I write out of love for the South … once a way of life that I am just old enough to remember - not a society built on money … I write about the South because I think the war between romanticism and the hostility to it is very sharp there.’
When did Streetcar debut in Broadway and how was it received?
December 1947, the audience were silent for a while before applauding for 30 minutes.
What did some reviewers say about the play?
Some rejected the bold portrayal of sexuality, morality, and desire. Robert J. Leeney called Williams an ‘ultra-realist’.
Plastic Theatre
Using the set, props, lighting, sound, etc. to enhance action, themes, characters, and language.
Expressionism
An unconventional technique in drama, aiming for a closer approach to the truth.
Why did women suffer in 1940s?
Due to social and political restrictions. American heroism made men seem idolised, placing women in domestic roles.
Where is racism present in New Orleans?
There is racism in New Orleans, but it is a more accepting than most places. However, there is lots of prejudice against European immigrants such as Stanley, seen through Blanche’s language to him.
Where can we see the working-class in the play?
Stanley is the epitome of a working-class man, which was seen as being a respectable member of society.
The American Dream
How the working-class were working their way up to great lifestyles, with wife, children, homes, and products.
Where do we see religion in the play?
There is hints of Christian values in the play, due to an intolerance of homosexuality and sexual immorality.
