Full revision guide for A-Level English Language and Literature students studying A Streetcar named Desire. Includes: structure of the play, chapter summaries, key quotes, costumes, stage directions, key terminology, different readings of the play and character profiles.
, Context of A Streetcar Named Desire.
Tennessee Williams.
o BORN IN 1911 IN MISSISSIPPI, A SOUTHERN STATE
o FATHER WAS A SHOE SALESMAN AND BECAME AN ALCOHOLIC
o WILLIAMS ATTENDED THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI STUDYING JOURNALISM
o 1939 MOVED TO NEW ORLEANS- REALISED HIS HOMOSEXUALITY
o 1944 GLASS MENARGERIE PRODUCED IN CHICAGO- FIRST SUCCESSFUL PLAY THAT MOVED TO NEW
YORK
o 1947 STREETCAR APPEARED IN NEW YORK- DIRECTED BY ELIA KAZAN
o CRITICS ARGUE BLANCHE IS BASED ON WILLIAM’S SISTER, ROSE, WHO STRUGGLED WITH MENTAL
HEALTH AND BECAME DEBILTATED AFTER A FRONTAL LABOTOMY
o 1950’S STREETCAR AND GLASS MENARGERIE PRODUCED AS FILMS
o WILLIAMS BECAME AN ALCOHOLIC IN 1963 AFTER HIS PARTNER FRANK DIED
o DIED ON 25TH FEBRUARY 1983 IN HIS HOTEL SUITE IN NEW YORK
Cultural diversity.
o OPENS WITH BLACK WOMAN AND WHITE WOMAN – CASUAL ACCEPTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN THE AREA.
CONTRASTS BETWEEN THE SOUTH WHERE BLANCHE AND STELLA COME FROM
o BLANCHE IS STILL INTOLERANT IN SOME OF HER REMARKS ABOUT CLASS, SEXUALITY AND
ETHNICITY- “POLACK”
o BLUES MUSIC SHOWS THE TRANSITION IN STREETCAR, NOT APPRECIATED BY BLANCHE FOR HOW
MUCH SHE PREACHES ABOUT POETRY AND ART. REPRESENTATIVE OF CHANGE AND HOPE
Social issues applied to Streetcar.
o VIOLENCE IS SEEN AS DOMESTIC IN A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
o CULTURAL VIOLENCE ALSO PRESENT AND FORCED UPON THE MIXED-RACE CHARACTERS LIKE
STANLEY
o CLASS STRUGGLE IS CONNECTED TO SEX, STELLA AND STANLEY / BLANCHE AND THE STUDENT
o THE PLAY SUGGESTS SOCIETY IS UNDERPINNED BY SEXUAL FRUSTRATION AS SOCIETY REPRESSES
PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WOMEN
o SEVERAL CHARACTERS SEEK BELONGING BUT DO NOT FIND IT OR ARE REJECTED
o FANTASIES ABOUT SOCIAL REFINEMENT AND GRANDEUR ARE DESTROYED
o ABBERATIONS ARE CHARACTERISTICS THAT DEVIATED FROM THE SOCIAL NORM, BLACHES CHOICES
CAUSE ABBERATIONS BUT SOCIAL ABBERATIONS ALSO CAUSE BLANCHES SITUATION
o THE SUFFERING IN STREETCAR IS NOT USUALLY PHYSICAL OR HORRIFIC IT TENDS TO BE MORE
PSYCHOLOGICAL
, Setting.
o MACRO SETTING (BIGGER PICTURE)- NEW ORLEANS, LAUREL AND BELLE REVE
o MICRO SETTING (SPECIFIC PLACES)- STELLA AND STANLEYS APARTMENT, THE STREET, COURTYARD,
EUNICE AND STEVES APARTMENT
o LOW INCOME AREA IN THE FRENCH QUARTER OF NEW ORLEANS
o 1947- TWO YEARS AFTER WW2
o TWO-BEDROOM FLAT
o AFTER THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND CIVIL WAR PEOPLE DIDN’T OWN LAND ANYMORE, THEY OFTEN
RENTED AS MORE PEOPLE MOVED TO THE BIG CITIES DUE TO INDUSTRIALISATION
The Epigraph.
o “AND SO IT WAS I ENTERED THE BROKEN WORLD
TO TRACE THE VISIONARY COMPANY OF LOVE, ITS VOICE
AN INSULT IN THE WIND [I KNOW NOT WHITHER HURLED]
BUT NOT FOR LONG TO HOLD EACH DESPERATE CHOICE”
o TAKEN FROM HART CRANES POEM “THE BROKEN TOWER”
o HART CRANE WAS ONE OF WILLIAMS ICONS AND HE FOUND COMFORT IN RELATING TO HIM, BOTH MEN
HAD BAD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR PARENTS AND SUFFERED FROM ALCOHOLISM
o IN 1932 CRANE TOOK HIS OWN LIFE THROUGH DROWNING
o THE EPIGRAPH APPLIES TO BLANCHE, SHE IS CONSTANTLY SEEKING LOVE BUT NEVER FINDS IT SO IT
IS “AN INSULT IN THE WIND” AS IT HAS NO MEANING. HER AGE AND PAST MEAN SHE HAS TO MAKE
“DESPERATE” DECISIONS BUT ULTIMATELY THESE ARE NOT FOREVER AND LEAD TO HER TRAGIC End
History of the Old South.
o PEOPLE MIGRATED TO THE DEEP SOUTH DUE TO THE BOOMING COTTON TRADE – CREATED NEW
SOCIAL CLASSES BASED ON GENDER STATUS
o PLAIN FOLK OWNED VERY FEW SLAVES, THEY USUALLY WORKED ALONGSIDE THEM- THEY DIDN’T
OWN LARGE PLANTATIONS AND ONLY HAD ENOUGH FOOD FOR THEMSELVES. MANY WERE
UNEDUCATED DUE TO THE LACK OF EDUCATION SO LITTLE OPPORTUNITY.
o 1907- PEAK YEAR FOR IMMIGRATION WITH OVER A MILLION IMMIGRANTS ENTERING THE US
o 1924 IMMIGRATION ACT RESTRICTED JEWS, ITALIANS AND SLAVS MANY OF WHOM WERE ESCAPING
THE NAZIS
A Woman’s role in the 1950’s
o CARING MOTHER, DILIGENT HOMEMAKER AND OBIDIENT WIFE
o A GOOD WIFE CARRIED OUT HER MANS EVERY ORDER AND AGREED WITH HIM ON EVERYTHING
o COULDN’T VOICE AN OPINION DUE TO LACK OF EDUCATION
o I LOVE LUCY- MOST WATCHED SHOW- STEREOTYPICAL WOMAN-IN-DISTRESS, WHO NEEDED HER
HUSBAND TO BAIL HER OUT. SHE WAS ALSO SYMBOLIC OF THE INEPT WOMAN.
o WOMEN DIDN’T ATTEND COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY
o MARRIED AFTER HIGH SCHOOL
o MEN FEARED INTELLIGENT WOMEN
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller teganjadeex. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £8.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
