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Women on American stages have been largely presented through the eyes of male playwrights. Although Susan Glaspell, Lillian Hellman, and Lorraine Hansberry (among others) made significant contributions to U.S.-American Drama in their time, it was not until the second wave of feminism in the 1960s that a feminist agenda reached a significant audience. This agenda included issues such as gender equality, studying sex and power, contradicting the often distorted depiction of women by male playwrights, and supporting women’s struggle for autonomy. In this seminar we will read and discuss a selection of plays by U.S.-American female dramatists such as Marsha Norman, Wendy Wasserstein or Gina Gionfriddo. Which “female issues” do the plays address? Is there a distinct “female voice” to be found in the plays? Students will read and discuss the primary texts along with a selection of secondary material in order to get a close insight into the female voices of contemporary U.S.-American drama. |
