Social Context
Literature in English: Cambridge International GCSE A Streetcar Named Desire, topic 1.2.1
Social Context for A Streetcar Named Desire
A Streetcar Named Desire is clearly set in the middle of the twentieth century, sometime around 1947, in the post-World War Two era.
Setting: New Orleans
- The play takes place in New Orleans, a city with a proud heritage and culture, though the South of America was often not seen as progressive and forward-thinking as the west and east coasts, or the north.
- The South was still recovering from the American Civil War and the culture was still determined by remnants of issues associated with the slave trade.
Views on sexuality and gender
- Traditional views of sexuality and gender were coming into collision with those adopted and chosen by a younger generation, who felt that the South was backwards-looking, conservative and outmoded.
Religion and trends
- Society had become more secularized (i.e. people eschewed traditional Christianity and its moral codes), and they were becoming more materialistic.
- Issues such as modern media, music and fashion started to influence society.
Visage of the South
- The South could be moneyed and appear successful.
- But underneath this veneer was something more fragile and darker.
Test yourself on Social Context
Where is A Streetcar Named Desire set?
How was society changing when A Streetcar Named Desire was set?
Who felt that the American South was backwards-looking, conservative and outmoded?