It is based on an essentialist view of the differences between women and men and advocates independence and institution building. Thus a feminist criticism needs to adapt brechts ideas, not just adopt them. The variety of feminisms and their contribution to gender. I would suggest that feminist theory and brechtian theory need to be read. Brecht, feminism, and chinese theatre mit press journals. Feminist theories for dramatic criticism provides a number of useful approaches for analyzing works for the stage from a feminist perspective.
Rush, autumn grubbswetnam, and christina lane the focus of this chapter is the ways in which communication theory and method can provide a richer, more complex and enlightening canvas of the human condition, when they draw their. Key concepts hegemonic masculinity patriarchal dividend. Paula vogel adapts bertolt brechts verfremdungseffekt, social gestus, historicization and episodic structure in the plays the baltimore waltz, and baby makes seven, hot n throbbing, and desdemona. Building upon the theory and activism of prosex feminism, queer theories that have argued for a genderfuck sexuality implicitly suggest that genderfuck is the feminist sexuality that lesbian feminists were looking for all along. By limiting their analysis to the rhetorical and discursive nature and functions of the medical and the natural, poststructuralist critics of the alternative birth. It is characterized by the outburst of womens anger and the desire to prove that women are equal to men. This thesis presents a genderoriented critique of bertolt brechts theory of epic theatre.
A very short summary of liberal feminist theory and practice. Feminist fights for the equality of women and argue that women should share equally in societys opportunities and scare resources. Women have something valuable to contribute to every aspect of the world. Key concepts queer theory heterosexual matrix performativity. Finally, we will pay attention to the changing field of feminist sociological theory, with the contributions and transformations brought by postmodernism, the study of masculinities and sexuality, and transnational feminist scholars. Theorytheatre is a unique and highly engaging introduction to literary theory as it relates to theatre and performance. Jill dolan eng 408ams 408 fall 2009 women in american. Feminist theory and practice in the poetry of adrienne rich 73 2. Brecht and the mothers of epic theater semantic scholar. Brechtian theory and american feminist theatre brecht.
The inclusion of postmodern theory into feminist theory is not readily accepted by all feminists, some believe postmodern thought undermines the attacks that feminist theory attempts to create, while other feminists are in favor of the union. Brechtian critique and a discovery, for feminist theory, of the specificity of theatre. Specific theoretical perspectives, critical theory, postmodernism, critical race theory, queer theory, and feminist theory are explored in the context of their political values and implications for qualitative research. Postmodern theory and feminist art practice springerlink. Feminist theatre scholars often criticize brechts plays for not paying enough attention to gender issues and merely focusing on a classbased agenda. This general overview will show a gradual shift from an obvious con. Toward a gestic feminist criticism by elin diamond 1988. Annette weber feminist peace theory routledge encyclopaedia 28. The main issues that these scholars highlight regarding brecht. Pdf critical theory and performance download ebook for free.
A genderoriented approach towards brechtian theatre. The sourcebook of feminist theatre and performance brings together major essays dealing with feminist theory and performance in the theatre. The female ideal phase that started when women began to write about their. A very short summary of liberal feminist theory and practice elizabeth cady stanton, 1880 many activists have offered theoretical defenses of equal rights for women, including important americans such as elizabeth cady stanton pictured above and frederick douglass seneca falls convention, 1848.
Breaking down gender binaries in musical theatre pedagogical practices article in studies in musical theatre 123. For this reason, postmodernism and feminism have always had an uneasy relationship. Feminist theatre by karen laughlin 1990 and brechtian theory feminist theory. Some observations on the theory, practice and politics of a feminist literary criticism annette kolodny 250 toward a feminist poetics elaine showalter 254 sexual textual politics. The feminist phase that coincides with the development of the suffragette movement. As in his other plays, brecht includes many alienation effects. Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or philosophical discourse.
Criticism 1988, is an exploration of the value of brechts theatre theory for feminism. Alice echols, a feminist historian and cultural theorist credits redstockings member. Analysis of bertolt brechts plays literary theory and. This was a definition of feminism i offered in feminist theory. Toward a gestic feminist criticism by elin diamond. The relationship between the philosophy, theory, and methods of different research paradigms is explored in this article. Rereading brecht through the lens of poststructuralism, sean carney asserts that there is a lacanian brecht and a derridean brecht. In her opinion, this approach is limited because it relies on male critical theory to be universal. It has led feminists to retreat from politics to lifestyle. Feminism can be defined as a recognition and critique of male supremacy combined with effort to change it. Introduction feminist sociological theory is both an academic and a political approach to the study of society.
Feminist theory and research as a scholarship fi eld is nearly beyond a summary chapter like this because women speak with many voices. Two articles in particularone historical, the other theoreticalhave connected brechtian techniques to the sources of feminist theatre, proposing an intersection between brechtian theory and feminist theatre practice. Fuegis unravelling of brechtthemonster starts with an examination of the early poetry, which reveals a bisexual, misogynistic, even protofascist brecht. David barnett invites readers, students and theatremakers to discover new ways of apprehending and making use of brecht in this clear and accessible study of brechts theories and practices. Feminist geography feminist geography research papers discuss the subset of human geography that applies feminist theory to studying human environment gender issues and the idea of gender did not gain prominence until the womens rights movement of the 1970s, when feminist theory held that gender was a social construct.
Mother courage and her children and, the good person of szechwan. Type chapter authors elin diamond page start 43 page end 55 is part of book title unmaking mimesis. What i am looking at first, are feminist theories about why women and men are unequal, and second, feminist gender politics, the activities and strategies for remedying gender. Brechtian gestus on such results, i utilize judith butlers theory of performativity. The main issues that these scholars highlight regarding. Additionally, i also utilize affect theory in order to investigate the total effect of the lack of emotional intensities or affect, and the grotesque use of emotions on the female figures. Indeed, virtually all dimensions of sociological theory have been reevaluated through the lens of feminist theory. Craig owens, in one of the first of the now numerous collections of essays on postmodern theory, suggested the close affinity of feminism and postmodernism. Feminist geography feminist geography research papers discuss the subset of human geography that applies feminist theory to studying human environment gender issues and the idea of gender did not gain prominence until the womens rights movement of the 1970s, when feminist theory held that gender was a social construct virginia woolf feminism virginia. Brechts theories mirror the structure illuminated in wiles theory of the. Bertolt brechts theory and practice have had a strong influence on the british theatre, dating from the first visit of the berliner ensemble in 1956 and the english. It was my hope at the time that it would become a common definition everyone would use. As an oppressed group, women have been unable to achieve their potential, receive rewards, or gain full participation in society. Two articles in particularone historical, the other theoreticalhave connected brechtian techniques to the sources of feminist theatre, proposing an intersection between brechtian theory and feminist.
Whereas conflict theory focuses broadly on the unequal distribution of power and resources, feminist sociology studies power in its relation to gender. Feminist politics where we stand simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploita tion, and oppression. Theory theatre is a unique and highly engaging introduction to literary theory as it relates to theatre and performance. This topic is studied both within social structures at large at the macro level and also at the micro level of facetoface interaction. Feminist legal theory spring 2016 professor laura rosenbury. Furthering the significance of tea as a political construct, i would like to discuss how it partakes in elin diamonds theory of a gestic feminist criticism, whereby the gestus enacts a social commentary on gender through an engagement among women specifically. There is no original or primary gender a drag imitates, but gender is a kind of. Drawing on feminist and performance theory as well as techniques of literary and semiotic analysis, a gestic feminist dramaturgy will examine the complicated issues of desire, gender, sexuality, class, and race that swirl and coalesce around textual bodies in the plays and performance texts of contemporary.
In this course, we will read feminist theory, queer theory, and other critical theory in order to examine constructions of gender and the roles legal systems play in those constructions. Feminist theory is an outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide. The german literary theorist walter benjamin 18921940 was associated with what is known as the frankfurt school of german critical theory although he was never a member of its institutional body, the frankfurt institute for social research. From modernity to postmodernity interweaves classical and contemporary writings from the social sciences and the humanities to represent feminist thought from the late eighteenth century to the present. Brechtian theory and the american feminist theatre by karen laughlin and brechtian theory feminist theory.
I was of course aware of the important work that sought to understand and inform organization studies writing through gendered and feminist theory e. Toward a gestic feminist criticism, in carol martin, ed. However, it is possible to discuss feminism and do feminist research and theory building because there are common, distinctive elements in the politics of doing research and scholarship that are shared by. Clearly, the writers of these articles struggled on many different levels to create a place in the academic world for feminist performance studies. Focusing on brecht has been important for feminist theatre theory and practice, but it has also obscured the fact that the political complexities of traditional. It is a brilliantly clear and readable examination of current theoretical approaches, from semiotics and poststructuralism, through cultural materialism, postcolonial studies and feminist theory.
Pdf brecht on theatre download full pdf book download. This thesis presents a genderoriented critique of bertolt brecht s theory of epic theatre and his two plays. It examines womens and mens social roles, experiences, interests, chores, and feminist politics in a variety of fields, such as anthropology and sociology, communication, media studies, psychoanalysis, home economics, literature. Transforming visions and diverse voices, jean lau chin posits that there is no singular definition of feminist leadership 2007. Feminist theatre scholars often criticize brecht s plays for not paying enough attention to gender issues and merely focusing on a classbased agenda. Each chapter outlines key feminist theories in a specific field, covering literary criticisms, anthropology, psychology, and film, and then applies these theories in a detailed criticism of one or two plays. Because i am not examining the ideas of particular feminists but speaking of perspectives that have emerged from many theorists, i will talk of feminisms. For a large number of feminist conflict theorists however, womens active role in the military was not the answer to a less militarisedmasculine and dichotomic society. This thesis presents a genderoriented critique of bertolt brechts theory of epic theatre and his two plays. Editors susan archer mann and ashly suzanne patterson pay close attention to the multiplicity and diversity of feminist voices, visions, and. Project muse brechtian gestus and the politics of tea in.
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