Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
5-2017
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Katherine Weiss
Committee Members
Michael Briggs, Kevin O'Donnell
Abstract
This thesis aims to explore the theme of isolation in the dramatic works of Tennessee Williams using his essay “The Catastrophe of Success” as the base theory text. The essay attacks the American idea of success though an in-depth examination of the “Cinderella myth” that Williams claims is so prevalent in both Hollywood and American Democracy. Williams’ deconstruction of this myth reveals that America’s love for stories like it results the isolation of three groups: homosexuals, women and the physically disabled and terminally ill. Williams passes no judgment on his characters, instead showing their lives as they truly are. Through The Glass Menagerie (1945), A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Orpheus Descending (1957) and Vieux Carre (1977), Williams gives readers and audiences a glimpse into the lives of isolated individuals, and the struggles each group faces.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Gilbert, Chelsea Nicole, "The Unkindness of Strangers: Exploring Success and Isolation in the Dramatic Works of Tennessee Williams" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3225. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3225
Copyright
Copyright 2017 by Chelsea Gilbert: All Rights Reserved
Included in
Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Women's Studies Commons