Culture power and the engendering of community Tennessee Williams and politics.docx
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Culture power and the engendering of community Tennessee Williams and politics.docx
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CulturepowerandtheengenderingofcommunityTennesseeWilliamsandpolitics
Title:
Culture,power,andthe(en)genderingofcommunity:
TennesseeWilliamsandpolitics.By:
Adler,ThomasP.,MississippiQuarterly,0026637X,Fall95,Vol.48,Issue4
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Culture,Power,andthe(En)genderingofCommunity:
TennesseeWilliamsandPolitics
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AUTHOR:
THOMASP.ADLER
TITLE:
Culture,Power,andthe(En)genderingofCommunity:
TennesseeWilliamsandPolitics
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"and"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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