Culture power and the engendering of community Tennessee Williams and politicsWord格式.docx
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Culture power and the engendering of community Tennessee Williams and politicsWord格式.docx
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THOMASP.ADLER
TITLE:
SOURCE:
TheMississippiQuarterlyv48p649-65Fall'
95
Themagazinepublisheristhecopyrightholderofthisarticleanditisreproducedwithpermission.Furtherreproductionofthisarticleinviolationofthecopyrightisprohibited.
"
IthinkitisonlyinthecaseofBrechtthataman'
spolitics,ifthemanisanartist,areofparticularimportanceinhiswork;
hisdegreesoftalentandofhumanityarewhatcount."
TennesseeWilliams,Memoirs(1975)
I
NOTLONGINTOACTONEOFTheNightoftheIguana(1961),otherwiseseeminglyanapoliticalplay,TennesseeWilliamsratherjarringlybringsontothesceneoftheremoteCostaVerdeHotelinMexicoafamilyofGermantourists--andeffectively"
stages"
forcontemporarytheatreaudiencestherealityoftheblitzkriegsandfirebombingsandconcentrationcampsofWorldWarII.HerrFahrenkopf,atankmanufacturer,hiswife,andhishoneymooningdaughterandson-in-law"
suddenlymakeastartling,dreamlikeentrance...dressedintheminimalconcessiontodecency...pinkandgoldlikebaroquecupidsinvarioussizes--Rubenesque,splendidlyphysical."
(FN1)Afterhearingashort-waveradiobroadcastoftheBattleofBritain,theybreakintoarousing"
Nazimarchingsong."
TheyreappearsimilarydescribednearthebeginningofActTwo--thoughnow"
Thewomenhavedeckedthemselveswithgarlandsofpalegreenseaweed"
--withFahrenkopfexclaiming"
[ecstatically]:
Londonisburning,theheartofLondon'
sonfire!
(p.293).Lateron,hearingHitleraddresstheReichstagovertheshort-waveradio,his"
voicelikeamaddog'
sbark,"
transformsFahrenkopf,whoisobsessedwiththeeroticsofpower,intoagrotesquecircusclown,"
thelightcatch[ing]hispolishedglassessothatheappearsforamomenttohaveelectriclightbulbsinhisforehead"
(p.295).InActThree,aftertheGermanshavetauntedtheagedNonnooverhisfalteringmemoryashetriestoreciteoneofhispoems,Shannonpassestheplaywright'
sownunassailablejudgmentuponthem:
"
Fiendsoutofhellwiththe...voicesof...angels"
(p.351).
Thiscoexistenceofculturewithevil,thefactthathighlycivilizedsocietiesnotonlycountenancebutactuallybecomecomplicitousininhumanacts,isanobservationthatWilliamsshareswithothertwentieth-centurywriterswhoexplorethefateofcultureandartasitisthreatenedbycommerceandpower:
withnovelistssuchasHenryJamesandE.M.Forster;
withhisfellowSoutherndramatistLillianHellmaninWatchontheRhine(1941)andTheSearchingWind(1944);
orwithG.B.ShawinMajorBarbara(1903),whichproposesamarriageofcultureandpower,andHeartbreakHouse(1919),whichmournsitsfailure.Infact,theapocalypticismwithwhichthelaterShawplaycloses(wheretheontologicallyboredEnglishexpressanalmostreligioussenseofdeliverancefromtheirinadequateworldbywelcomingtheaerialbombingas"
agloriousexperience!
...likeBeethoven"
(FN2)willfindechoesintheapocalypticendingsofseveralWilliamsworksfromBattleofAngels(1940)throughTheRedDevilBatterySign(1977)andClothesforaSummerHotel(1980).
Moreover,ashistreatmentofHerrFahrenkopfandfamilymakesabundantlyevident,Williamsseemstohaveassociated,asdidVirginiaWoolf,patriarchyinitsmanymanifestationswithracisminallitsforms.InThreeGuineas(1938),Woolf,afterclaimingthateducationhasfailedbyteachingthe"
use"
offorceratherthanabhorrenceofitandbyespousing"
possessiveness"
ratherthan"
magnanimity"
--inshort,byfosteringthe"
artsofdominating...ofruling,ofkilling,ofacquiring"
--arguesthatthemonstrous"
tyrannyoftheFasciststate"
inGermany,Italy,andSpainisakinoranalogousto"
thetyrannyofthepatriarchalstate"
:
both"
dictatehow"
onewilllive;
bothexcludeonthebasisofsexual,ethnic,andreligiousdifference,creatingtheoutsiderandthenostracizingher/himforbeingOther.(FN3)Fromhisearlyyears,whenhisfathertauntedhimasasissified"
MissNancy,"
Williamsmusthavegraduallycometoseehimselfasexcludedbythepatriarchy,untillaterbecauseofsexualdifferencehechosetolivefreefromandinrebellionagainstthatpatriarchy'
srepressiveandexclusionarymores,rejectingtheflawedpatriarchy--asWoolfherselfdid--infavorofwhatmightbeseenasamoreandrogynouspoliticalandmoralorder.
TowhatextenttheseconcernsrenderWilliamsa"
politicalplaywright"
remainsopentodebate.Muchdepends,ofcourse,onhowoneunderstandstheterm.Recently,GeraldBerkowitzhasclaimedthat"
Williamsisanalmostcompletelynon-politicalwriter,"
whileMarcRobinsonhasproposedthatthe"
privateworldisWilliams'
sonlytruepurview"
WhilehisplaysareinseparablefromwhatwehavecometounderstandasSouthernliterature,hefindsitalmostimpossibletoimagine'
societies.'
(FN4)Ontheotherhand,C.W.E.Bigsby,indiscussingWilliams'
s"
radicalism"
inhisearliesteffortsasawriter"
creatingaseriesofprotestplaysforapoliticaltheatregroupinSt.Louis,"
hascautionedustotempersuchunequivocalsuggestions:
If,afterthe1930s,Williamsrarelychosetoformulatehissenseofpoliticaloppressioninovertlypoliticalways,hisportraitsofindividualspressedtothemarginsofsocialconcern,trappedinadiminishingsocialandpsychologicalspace,arenotwithoutideologicalsignificance,for,asMichelFoucaulthasremindedus,thereisalinkbetweenspaceandpower."
(FN5)Inhisownessaysandinterviewsspanningseveraldecades,Williamscommentsextensivelyonhisprivatepoliticsandonlargersocioculturalissuesfromapersonalperspective.Essentially,heattachestohimselfthedesignationsHumanitarianandRevolutionary.In"
FactsAboutMe"
(1952),Williams,althoughasserting"
Idon'
tthinkanywriterhasmuchpurposebackofhimunlesshefeelsbitterlytheinequitiesofthesocietyhelivesin,"
goesontosaythathehas"
noacquaintancewithpoliticalandsocialdialectics.Ifyouaskwhatmypoliticsare,IamaHumanitarian."
(FN6)Andyet,whenhecasthisonlyballoteverinapresidentialelectionin1932,hevotedfortheSocialistcandidate,NormanThomas,evidencinghis"
interestinthediscoveryofanewsocialsystem...,anenlightenedformofsocialism,Iwouldsuppose."
(FN7)
Bytheearly1970s,WilliamshadbecomeopenlyvocalincriticizingAmerica'
sexpansionist,imperialistmissionas"
thebeginningofourmoralcollapse,"
decryingas"
incomprehensiblyevil"
thewholeVietnammorass;
asacountertothe"
atrocityofAmericaninvolvement"
and"
Nixon'
stotallackofhonestyandofamoralsense,"
hecitedhisown"
devotion...tothecauseofSenatorMcGovern"
(Memoirs,p.95).Indeed,alreadyinaninsertaccompanyingthetheaterprogramforSlapstickTragedy(1966),Williamshad"
denounced[Vietnam]as'
incrediblycruel'
'
believeme,nothingthatwillbewonoutofthiswarwillbeworththelifeofasinglemanwhodiedinit.'
(FN8)Theyear1971actuallyfoundhimpubliclyaddressinganantiwarrallyinNewYork'
sCathedralofSt.JohntheDivine,whichwouldlaterhonorhimwithitsfirstartsmedal.Inwhatcouldundoubtedlybechallengedastoosimplisticandnativealayman'
sanalysis,heeventuallycametoseeVietnamastheculminationofapatternreachingbackbeyondrecenteventstoincludeeventhebombingofHiroshimaandNagasakiandtheMcCarthywitchhuntsofthe'
50s:
It'
sthemoraldecayofAmerica,whichreallybeganwiththeKoreanWar,waybeforetheKennedyassassination.ThemainreasonwewereinvolvedinVietnamwassotwohundredbilliondollarsworthofequipmentcouldbedestroyedandwouldhavetobeboughtagain.We'
rethedeathmerchantsoftheworld,thisoncegreatandbeautifuldemocracy.PeoplethinkI'
macommunist,butIhateallbureaucracy,allisms.I'
marevolutionaryonlyinthesensethatIwanttoseeusescapefromthissortoftrap."
(FN9)Andsothetitleofhislateplay,AHouseNotMeanttoStand(1982),becomes--likeShaw'
stitleHeartbreakHouse--"
ametaphorforsocietyinourtimes"
(Conversations,p.336).
InWilliams'
snomenclature,theconcepts"
artist"
revolutionary"
arevirtuallysynonymousand,byimplication,activist;
ashesaysin"
TheMisunderstandingsandFearsofanArtist'
sRevolt"
(1978),thedesignation"
Artist...mustalwaysremainawordmostcompatiblewiththewordRevolutionary,andsobemorethanaword"
(Essays,p.171).Asanartist,heparticularlyrebelledagainstthethought-policementalityofagovernmentenforcing"
prescribedideas,"
forbiddingany"
veryexplicitcriticismfromwithin,"
andsanctioning"
theallbutcompletesuppressionofanydissidentvoices,"
aconditionthatlefthim"
tremblingbeforethespecterofinvestigatingcommitteesandevenwithBuchenwaldinthebackofourminds"
(Essays,pp.13,35).AllsuchrepressionrunscountertotheagendathatWilliamsina1960essayclaimedfortheartforminwhichhemostoftenworked:
Idaretosuggest,frommyPOV[PointofView],thatthetheaterhasmadeinourtimeitsgreatestartisticadvancethroughtheunlockingandlightingupandventilationoftheclosets,attics,andbasementsofhumanbehaviorandexperience"
(Essays,pp.116-
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