Locating the Female in Selected Plays of John Osborne and Arnold Wesker
LOCATING THE FEMALE IN SELECTED PLAYS OF JOHN OSBORNE AND ARNOLD WESKER
The Post War British theatre, dominated by its galaxy of angry young men, had its host of women as well. But, these women have often received quite a lukewarm response from the critics. The plays of John Osborne and Arnold Wesker, for instance, were made synonymous with a Jimmy Porter or a Ronny Kahn. Naturally, characters such as Helena, Sarah and their ilk got little or no critical attention.
In today’s changed world, however, releasing marginal and muted voices has become both important and customary. However, a brief overview of critical work dedicated to Post War British drama in general and the plays of Osborne and Wesker in particular clearly indicate the importance and relevance of analyzing the role and function of the women characters in the plays of these two playwrights.
In the proposed thesis, I will initially define the critical terms that will inform the study. In addition, I propose to give a brief overview of the research already done in the area of my study showing thereby the rationale for my project. I propose to discuss representative plays of the playwrights to show how both Osborne and Wesker, each in his own unique way, has presented women as wives, mothers, mistresses, and daughters. They have also presented women rebelling against male domination and daring to remain women in a defiant manner.
One of the very first plays to be discussed in the thesis will be John Osborne’s 1956 play Look Back in Anger. Generally considered a watershed in the 20th century English Theatre, the play has received huge critical acclaim. A major part of such critical attention, however, has solely been concentrated on the character of the Angry Young hero Jimmy Porter, forgetting quite conveniently his wife, Alison who is also a victim of the same dilemmas which assail Jimmy and his generation. While Jimmy’s resentment against the prevalent
The Post War British theatre, dominated by its galaxy of angry young men, had its host of women as well. But, these women have often received quite a lukewarm response from the critics. The plays of John Osborne and Arnold Wesker, for instance, were made synonymous with a Jimmy Porter or a Ronny Kahn. Naturally, characters such as Helena, Sarah and their ilk got little or no critical attention.
In today’s changed world, however, releasing marginal and muted voices has become both important and customary. However, a brief overview of critical work dedicated to Post War British drama in general and the plays of Osborne and Wesker in particular clearly indicate the importance and relevance of analyzing the role and function of the women characters in the plays of these two playwrights.
In the proposed thesis, I will initially define the critical terms that will inform the study. In addition, I propose to give a brief overview of the research already done in the area of my study showing thereby the rationale for my project. I propose to discuss representative plays of the playwrights to show how both Osborne and Wesker, each in his own unique way, has presented women as wives, mothers, mistresses, and daughters. They have also presented women rebelling against male domination and daring to remain women in a defiant manner.
One of the very first plays to be discussed in the thesis will be John Osborne’s 1956 play Look Back in Anger. Generally considered a watershed in the 20th century English Theatre, the play has received huge critical acclaim. A major part of such critical attention, however, has solely been concentrated on the character of the Angry Young hero Jimmy Porter, forgetting quite conveniently his wife, Alison who is also a victim of the same dilemmas which assail Jimmy and his generation. While Jimmy’s resentment against the prevalent