5.2.1
Genre
Genre
Genre
A Streetcar Named Desire may simultaneously be described as a story of modern times, a tragedy, a fable about the American South and a love story.
Elements explained
Elements explained
- In short, these four elements come together to make the overall narrative about ‘destructive passion’.
- We already know much about it being a love story and a tragedy.
- By fable, we mean that it contains many archetypes and that within the narrative, there is a moral message for the reader.
Tragic features
Tragic features
- We know that tragedies in modern times often consider the following generic elements and these elements are repeated time and time again within the play:
- Anti-heroes are depicted. Both Stanley and Blanche are anti-heroes. Characters are ordinary people and not ‘great’ men or women.
- Although family life is essential, it is presented as somehow inadequate. Maybe it does not live up to the American Dream. The inadequacy of family life may undermine the characters’ faith in the system.
Tragic features (cont.)
Tragic features (cont.)
- The world is full of deceit and that dreams turn out to be illusory and fleeting.
- Often, characters are seen as manipulators and they vie for control and power like caged animals.
- There is often an emphasis on the psychological aspects of characters. The was because the notion of psychology and psycho-analysis developed greatly in the twentieth century. It is clear from the play that the disorder of the world sometimes matches a disorder of the mind.
Tragic features (cont.)
Tragic features (cont.)
- In earlier plays, the tragedy looks ‘outwards’. In modern tragedies, the text looks ‘inwards’.
- Usually, there is some element of the past which impinges on the present, and this is certainly true of A Streetcar Named Desire.
1Context & Overview
1.1The Author
1.2Social Context & Setting
2Scene Summaries
2.3Scene Three
2.5Scene Five
2.6Scene Six
2.7Scene Seven
2.9Scene Nine
2.10Scene Ten
3Character Profiles
3.1Blanche DuBois & Stanley Kowalski
3.2Stella Kowalski & Harold Mitchell (Mitch)
4Key Ideas
4.1Sex & Gender
4.2Appearances, Fantasy & Reality
5Writing Techniques
5.2Genre, Form & Language
6Critical Debates
6.1Early & Modern Reception
6.2Feminist, Psychoanalytic & Marxist Approach
7Ideas About Tragedy
7.1Ideas About Tragedy
Jump to other topics
1Context & Overview
1.1The Author
1.2Social Context & Setting
2Scene Summaries
2.3Scene Three
2.5Scene Five
2.6Scene Six
2.7Scene Seven
2.9Scene Nine
2.10Scene Ten
3Character Profiles
3.1Blanche DuBois & Stanley Kowalski
3.2Stella Kowalski & Harold Mitchell (Mitch)
4Key Ideas
4.1Sex & Gender
4.2Appearances, Fantasy & Reality
5Writing Techniques
5.2Genre, Form & Language
6Critical Debates
6.1Early & Modern Reception
6.2Feminist, Psychoanalytic & Marxist Approach
7Ideas About Tragedy
7.1Ideas About Tragedy
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