Tennessee Williams A Southern writer.docx

Tennessee Williams A Southern writer.docx

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TennesseeWilliamsASouthernwriter

Title:

TennesseeWilliams:

ASouthernwriter.By:

King,Kimball,MississippiQuarterly,0026637X,Fall95,Vol.48,Issue4

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ASouthernWriter

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AUTHOR:

KIMBALLKING

TITLE:

TennesseeWilliams:

ASouthernWriter

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"fallenstate"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