Tennessee Williams A Southern writerWord格式.docx
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Tennessee Williams A Southern writerWord格式.docx
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AUTHOR:
KIMBALLKING
TITLE:
SOURCE:
TheMississippiQuarterlyv48p627-47Fall'
95
Themagazinepublisheristhecopyrightholderofthisarticleanditisreproducedwithpermission.Furtherreproductionofthisarticleinviolationofthecopyrightisprohibited.
ALTHOUGHMANYCONSIDERTENNESSEEWILLIAMStobethiscentury'
sforemostAmericanplaywright,surprisinglylittlehasbeensaidabouthisdebttoSouthernliteraryconventionsorhisregionalbias.HiscriticismsoftheSouth,overtandimplied,areoftenharsh,buthiscontinuinglove/haterelationshipwiththeculturehewasbornintoprovidesdramaticconflictandexcitementtoeverythinghewrote.Becauseofthecomplexityofhisvision,heisfrequentlycomparedtofictionwriters,suchasFaulkner,andindeedthetwoMississippi-bornauthorsfindepicsubjectmatterinboththehistoryandpresentconditionsoftheirregion.(FN1)ToplacehisworksinaSoutherncontext,itisespeciallyhelpfultoevaluatebothhispredecessorsandsuccessorsinSoutherndrama.
TheplaysofWilliamsreflectmanyofthecharacteristicsofSouthernwritersnotedbyliterarycriticsinthemodernistera,beginninginthetwentiesandthirties,andtheyanticipatethepostmoderndilemmainanerabegunbyintegrationandthegrowthoftheformerlydespisedmiddleclasses.NearlyeveryplayWilliamswrotereflectedtraditionaltopicswhichwereextolledorsatirizedinSouthernwriting:
agrarianismvs.urbanism,theNewSouthvs.theAntebellum,andthechevaliervs.theupstart.AlthoughhewouldventureoutofSouthernsettingsinNightoftheIguanaorABarinTokyo,inmostofhisdramasthepersonalandsocialdilemmasoftheprincipalcharactersareinextricablylinkedtotheSouth.WhileAStreetcarNamedDesirecontraststhefallenaristocracywiththeethnicdenizensofanewindustrialorderandCatonaHotTinRoofexploresthefamilydynamicsofthenouveauriche,SuddenlyLastSummernarrowsitsfocustorevealSouthernaristocratswho,thoughdecadent,retaintheirsocialpositionandtherequisitepowertobeathreattopoorrelations.Ofparticularinterestisaseriesofworksdealingwithonecentralmyth,theOrpheuslegend,whichisexaminedinseveralstageandfilmversions.ThatWilliamsshouldselectaclassicalmythinthemannerofnovelistsFaulknerandWalkerPercysuggeststhatheshareswiththosewritersabeliefintheSouth'
smetaphoricalimportance--adommedcivilizationwithauniversalmessageofwarning,thendespair,andfinally,hope.
OneofthefirstcriticstoevaluatethesewritersintheSouthwhoemergedafterWorldWarIandbecamethemostprominentliteraryartistsofthetwentiethcenturyisLouisD.Rubin,Jr.,whodefinesheretheircommonattributes:
Alltendedtogroundtheirwritingsintheirregionalexperience.Howevermuchtheydifferedasindividual,originalartists,theirworksseemedtosharemanycharacteristics,includingsomethatwerelargelylackinginotherAmericanwritersoftheperiod:
asenseofthepast,anuninhibitedrelianceuponthefullresourcesoflanguageand(theold-fashionedmoralabsolutesthatlaybehindsuchlanguage),anattitudetowardevilasbeingpresentnotonlyineconomicorsocialforcesbutintegraltothe"
fallenstate"
ofhumankind,anabilitytogetatthefullcomplexityofasituationratherthanseemingtoreduceittoitssimplifiedessentials,asuspicionofabstractions,abiasinfavoroftheindividual,theconcrete,theunique,eventheexaggeratedandoutlandishinhumanportraiture.(FN2)
Rubin'
scatalogueseemsapplicableinitsentiretytoWilliams'
scanon.Nearlyalltheplaywright'
sworksaregroundedinhisregionalexperience.Ineachthepastcastsalongshadowoverthelivesofitsprotagonists.WhetheritisthecorruptionanddecayofBelleRevewhichhauntsBlancheinAStreetcarNamedDesire,AmandaWingfield'
sinhibitingvisionofgenteelfemalebehaviorinTheGlassMenagerie,orBigDaddy'
simpoverishedchildhoodinCatonaHotTinRoof,noneofWilliams'
scharacterscanescapetheburdensoftheirpersonal,andbyimplication,regionalhistories.
InparticularRubin'
sassertionthatgreatSouthernwritersdrewonthefullresourcesoflanguagetoconveytheirpicturesofaculturebasedonmoralabsolutesbringstomindthedelightfulextravaganceofWilliams'
smemorabledialogue.Blanche'
smaleancestorshaveengagedin"
epicfornications"
whichleadtoherfamily'
simpoverishmentandherownlossofstatus.Amanda,influencedbyhersociety'
shypocriticaldenialofsexuality,wishesshecouldcensorherson'
sreadingofLadyChatterley'
sLover,"
thathideousbookbythatinsaneMr.Lawrence."
AndBigDaddy'
sambitiousandhard-wonpossessionof"
50,000acresoftherichestlandthissideoftheRiverNile"
emphasizesthedynasticambitionswhichhissocietyhasfosteredandwhichhefearshissonsmaybeincapableofmaintaining.
AlthoughRubinisthinkingprimarilyoffictionwritersandespeciallyofFaulkner,hisidentificationofanawarenessofevil,oftheirretrievably"
ofmankindandsociety,pertainsaswelltothetragedieswhichbefallWilliams'
scharacters.WhatalternativecanweimaginetoTom'
seventualabandonmentofhisnaggingmotherandhishandicappedsister?
ToBlanche'
sinstitutionalization?
OrthesimilarfateofLucretiaCollinsinPortraitofaMadonna,thesemi-psychoticfigurewhosedeliriumadumbratesBlanche'
sdilemma.WhatsortofahappyendingcanwepictureforAlmainSummerandSmokeorforChanceWayneinSweetBirdofYouthorValandLadyinOrpheusDescending?
TheweightofSouthernhistory,thepowerofsocialandracialdivisionsanditsritualsandtaboosoftenmakeself-determinationandmoralchoiceunachievable.
InplaysfromIbsentoArthurMiller,therearelonelyindividualswhosucceededinpreservingtheirmoralintegrityattheexpenseofsocialacceptance,suchasinIbsen'
sEnemyofthePeopleandinMiller'
sTheCrucible.ButinWilliams'
sworld,definanceofthecoderesultsinpersonaldestruction.
WilliamsbelongstothefirstgroupofSouthernwritersinthetwentiethcenturywhogainedinternationalrecognition.HeismorefrequentlycomparedtonovelistWilliamFaulknerthantohiscontemporariesinthetheatreworld.Ofcourse,likeeveryothertwentieth-centuryAmericanplaywright,heowesadebttoEugeneO'
Neill,sinceO'
Neill'
sdramaticachievementselevatedthestatusofallAmericantheatre.AndWilliamsdeftlyemploysexpressionisticdeviceswhichhadbeentheforteoftheearlyO'
Neill.ArthurMiller,bornin1915,wascloserinagetoWilliams(1911)thanO'
Neill(1888),andlikeWilliamshemasterfullycombinesnaturalisticAmericanfamilysettingswithbizarreexpressionistdevicestocreateplayswithuniversalsignificance.WillyLoman'
smodestBrooklynbungalowandAmandaWingfield'
sSt.Louisapartmentcapturetheessenceoflowermiddle-classAmericanlife,butthefreeformskeletalstructureofthesetofMiller'
sDeathofaSalesmanandWilliams'
ssuggestionsforexoticlighting,oversizedpaintings,placards,andscrimcurtainsinTheGlassMenagerieimpartapoeticdignitytocharacterstrappedbymundaneconcernsofsurvival.ItisnotonlyWilliams'
sgreaterexplorationofwomen'
srolesinthetheatrethatmakeshimsodifferentfromArthurMiller,whonearlyalwayscreatesmalecharactersforhissignificantparts;
butMillereschewstheexoticandfocusesaudienceattentiononcontemporarypoliticalissuesandcrucialethicalchoices.Whileheacknowledgesneuroticbehaviorandmonolithicsocialobstacles,andissympathetictothosecaughtupinconflictingforcesofgoodandevil,heremainsultimatelyamoralist.AlthoughMillercomesfromanurbanbackgroundandhisancestryisGerman-Jewish,philosophicallyheisaNewEnglander.Miller'
sTheCrucibleisnotaplayWilliamscouldhavewritten,andthetitleofoneofMiller'
smorerecentdramas,TheLastYankee,mightbeanappropriatesobriquetforitsauthor.
Incontrast,Williams'
sblatanttheatricality,hisextravagantdisplayofemotionsandhisdysfunctionalcharacterscrippledbypsychologicalproblemsandseeminglyunalterablesociologicalcircumstancesstrikeaudiencesintheNorthandotherregionsoutsidetheSouth,asRichardWeaver,speakingoftheSouthingeneral,onceclaimedtheywould,as"
tootheatricaltobewhollyreal."
(FN3)
Williams'
slyricaldialogue,hissympatheticandexpansiverolesforfemaleactors,andhisimaginativeembellishmentofnaturalisticsituationsanddialoguewithexpressionisticstagingtechniquesaredeservedlyadmiredcontributionsoftheMississippi-bornplaywright,fictionwriterandpoet.BecauseMargaretMitchell'
snovelGoneWithTheWind,andmoresignificantlythemoviemadefromthatnovel,precededWilliams'
sfirstgreatstageplaysandestablishedcertainenduringinternationalassumptionsandmythsaboutSouthernculture,WilliamshadtochoosebetweenperpetuatingMitchell'
sstereotypesorshatteringthem.InMitchell'
spages,plantationlifeisperceivedtohavebeenlavish,almostregal.Slavesareseldommistreatedand,consequently,loyaltotheirowners;
Northernersaremainlypredatorswhoruthlesslydestroyagenteelcivilization.
WilliamswasdrawntothesplendouroftheOldSouthandtookprideinhisown"
aristocratic"
connections--oneancestorwaschancellorof
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- Tennessee Williams Southern writer