Violent Women in Contemporary Theatres: Staging Resistance

ISBN-13: 9783319860541 / Angielski / Miękka / 2019 / 410 str.

Nancy Taylor Porter

Opis

This book brings together the fields of theatre, gender studies, and psychology/sociology in order to explore the relationships between what happens when women engage in violence, how the events and their reception intercept with cultural understandings of gender, how plays thoughtfully depict this topic, and how their productions impact audiences. Truthful portrayals force consideration of both the startling reality of women's violence - not how it's been sensationalized or demonized or sexualized, but how it is - and what parameters, what possibilities, should exist for its enactment in life and live theatre. These women appear in a wide array of contexts: they are mothers, daughters, lovers, streetfighters, boxers, soldiers, and dominatrixes. Who they are and why they choose to use violence varies dramatically. They stage resistance and challenge normative expectations for women. This fascinating and balanced study will appeal to anyone interested in gender/feminism issues and theatre.

Recenzje

"The two books under review make for heavy reading. ... Porter's book focuses on specific variants of violence connected to specific character types and roles ... . both studies offer substantial contributions to the field of theatre and drama." (Anette Pankratz, Journal of Contemporary Drama in English, Vol. 8 (2), 2020)

O autorze

Nancy Taylor Porter is Professor of Theatre, scholar artist, and Chair of the Department of Theatre at Illinois College, USA. In addition to her first book, Women Direct Shakespeare in America, she has also published in Women's Studies, Theatre Journal, and Shakespearean Criticism.