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Context Notes on A Streetcar Named Desire
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A full, in-depth A* notes exploring the context of Tennessee Williams' play, "A Streetcar Named Desire", for the Pearson Edexcel A-Level English Literature.
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context for StreetcarINTERTEXTUALITY
o “Blue denim work clothes” – ties to industrialism, proud to be 100% American – while
Blanche draws on Edgar Allan Poe, he draws on Huey Long, every man a king (abused
his powers for personal gain as governor of Louisiana in 1929) – Stanley follows after
this aggressive man as a role model for America
o Vivien Leigh (streetcar actress) also in Gone with the Wind – appreciated and
encapsulated deep southern charm and appeal
o Edgar Allan Poe also wrote The Fall of the House of Usher – pertinent to B’s fall from
grace
o “White woods” implies a physical connection to her plantation at Belle Reve and
“white trunks of decayed trees” in House of Usher – inability to grow and progress is
gnawing away at both Ushers and Blanche = why the old south is decaying
OLD AND NEW SOUTH - CONFLICT
The Old South
o “Beautiful dream”, just as America was founded on beautiful dreams and closely
linked to the idea of the American Dream: OS is only a distant dream that cannot be
returned to
o Presentation of Blanche as beautiful, elegant southern belle yet flawed and deluded
reflects oxymoronic elegance of Old South paired with its economy’s abhorrent
dependence on slavery
o Due to depression and forcing the people to face the harsh reality of new, industrial
America, many felt great nostalgia for Old South and its beauty and elegance
The New South
o Presentation of Stanley as rude and brutal (e.g. when he gives the train ticket to
Blanche) mirrors Williams’s views on the harsh reality of New South
o Williams presents the deep south as flawed, and uses Blanche to criticise the
hypocrisy and self-delusion of the deep south
The Conflict
o Dramatises the conflict between fading southern belle and New South second
generation polish immigrant determined to catch American Dream after WW2
o Stella’s decision to stay with the father of her child and allow her sister to be
committed to a mental asylum symbolises the shifting social power structures of new
south
o Changed his name to “Tennessee” – acknowledgement of dramatization of conflict
between culture and values of his native land
o Stella’s presentation by Williams is generally ameliorative – shows a combination of
Old and New South values is ideal
THE PROCESS OF WRITING
o Working title of streetcar was “The Moth”
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