streetcar context

who wrote a streetcar named desire?

Tennessee Williams

where is a streetcar named desire set?

New Orleans- the french quarter- city in state Louisiana in southern america

when was tennessee williams born / died

1911-1983

what was tennessee williams' mother like?

edwina dakin

daughter of a well-to-do southern family

southern belle

lobotomised his sister rose without his knowledge

overprotective and smothered kids

submissive and weak compared to husband

what was tennessee williams' father like?

an alcoholic travelling shoe salesman

cornelius williams

he was loud boistorous and displayed toxic masculinity to sensitive literary son

violent towards his mother

was often away for long periods of time

what was tennessee williams' sister like?

rose williams

had schizophrenia

was a figure of mental illness, vunerability

was never herself after her lobotomy- died inside

represents misunderstood women

victim

what was tennessee williams' childhood like?

very unhappy- suffered from poor health (diphtheria) , he was shamed for his literary ambitions and pulled out of school to work at his father's shoe factory, was exposed to his parents unhappy marriage and his sister's mental illness

what personal aspects of tennessee williams' life featured in his work?

his struggles with addiction/ alcohol

his homosexuality (shamed in society)

broken relationships- toxic dynamics between unconventional families

how does tennessee williams use condensing?

he reduces years of childhood trauma onto a small stage- makes it feel extremely claustraphobic, overwhelming and creates a high pressure environment

what parts of williams' personal lives reflect in blanche?

his mother- raunchy southern belle

sister- vunerable female

williams- personal struggles

when was slavery abolished?

1865

why did williams set plays in the time that they were written in?

to create a sense of urgency and makes it relatable for the audiences watching at the time- authentic

why does williams use real places and street names around new orleans?

to create a sense of authenticity and reflects williams' affection for the plae as he lived there for many years

what is plastic theatre?

a genre of theatre where naturalism is replaced with poetry, metaphors and symbolism which don't appear in the real world in order to stylistically and more accurately convey an emotion, feeling or character without being limited by reality and theatrical norms

when was a streetcar named desire written?

1947

what is a southern belle?

A term used to describe the daughters of wealthy european plantation owners, often used to describe beautiful women.

what are the characteristics of southern belles?

married to a southern gentleman

kind and welcoming to visitors

flirtatious but chaste

extreme beauty and fashion (hoop skirts, corsets, white gloves, no tan lines)

what is a debutant

young woman of aristocratic / upper class backround

who are the planter class

wealthy european land-owners

what was the antebellum south era?

period in the southern states between the war of 1812 and the civil war in 1861

characterised by the prominent use of slavery

when was the civil war?

1861- 1865

what was williams' work characterised by?

lyricism, geographical context, interest in characters brought low by chance and circumstance as inspired by his broken childhood

what was Reconstruction?

Period from 1865 to 1876 where the US government tried to rebuild southern minds and the southern economy in order to stop the dependence on slavery- last us states from the south left in 1877

who were the two sides that fought in the civil war

the union (the north) and the confederacy (the south)

why does blanche seem so out of place in new orleans?

new orleans didn't distinguish class and race as much as other states in the 1940s- hence why stella and stanley make a good match despite being from very different backgrounds

what New Orleans like in the 1940s?

increasingly diverse, multicultural and prosperous in contrast to other southern states in the "old south"

was Louisiana a southern or northen state?

southern state- often referred to as the "new south" due to its diverse multicultural and prosperous nature

what was the french quarter like?

the most famous section of new orleans, where williams lived on toulouse street

primarily spanish architecture that was destroyed by fires

many land marks- Galatoires (williams' fav spot) , bourbon street, st Louis cathedral - places remain unchanging and authentic over time

ambience of jazz clubs, chatter and bells of streetcars

where is new orleans?

Louisiana

why was new orleans so sucessful?

it relied on manufacturing more than slave-driven plantations so after the civil war it could emerge more assertively and they were less effected by the slave abolition law in 1865 and had an advantage over the other southern states

what was happening in the states when streetcar was written in 1947?

the country had just emerged from ww2

industrialisation was rapidly expanding in cities, urban growth and capitalism was popular, and the plantations of the old south were dying

what were 1947s view on masculinity?

after the war, young men were ready to settle down into their families and jobs and return to the old fashioned view of family after suffering a terrible war

pure, savage and violent toxic masculinity was prominant throughout america

what are streetcars?

american trams

began sevice in 1835 pulled by mules and were covered in the 1930s to make room for buses.

new orleans had the oldest continuously running railway

the desire line was established in 1920 but discontinued for the desire bus line in 1948

williams drew poetic inspo from the clanging bells as they passed his apartment while writing streetcar

what is the southern gothic genre?

gothic genre in the unites states- often focusing on horror, helpless heroines and the supernatural

what are some tropes of the southern gothic genre?

delapidated housing / environment, helpless and desperate heroines, flawed, opressed, or homeless characters, and themes of crime, violence, poverty, and isolation.