Tennessee Williams and New Orleans: Rewriting the Playwright, Rewriting the City
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1999 Tennessee Williams and New Orleans: Rewriting the Playwright, Rewriting the City. Mark D. Zelinsky Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Zelinsky, Mark D., "Tennessee Williams and New Orleans: Rewriting the Playwright, Rewriting the City." (1999). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 7029. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/7029 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TENNESSEE WILLIAMS AND NEW ORLEANS: REWRITING THE PLAYWRIGHT; REWRITING THE CITY A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Theatre by Mark D. Zelinsky B.A., Simpson College, 1982 M.A., Washington State University, 1994 August 1999 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9945756 Copyright 1999 by Zelinsky, Mark D. All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9945756 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ©Copyright 1999 Mark D. Zelinsky All rights reserved ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. He thought of the tall iron horseman before the Cabildo, tipping his hat so gallantly toward old wharves, the mist of the river beginning to climb about him. He thought of the rotten-sweet odor the Old Quarter had, so much like a warning of what he would have to learn. He thought of belief and the gradual loss of belief and the piecing together of something like it again. —from "Mornings on Bourbon Street" by Tennessee Williams 1 1 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dedication The seed for this work was planted during those wonderful years at 163 Summit Drive. To Mom, Dad, and Michelle, and that boy you inspired. Those were the days in which you first introduced me to this country, trusted me to explore on my own, encouraged my imagination, and instilled in me an appreciation of literature, music, and theatre. To those golden days, and to the memory of Dr. Stanley Wood whose career was the stuff of boyhood dreams. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Ac knowledgme nt s Tennessee Williams' works made me fall in love with the South. I had visited New Orleans as a child and recalled a certain fascination with the city, but Williams' rendition of it in A Streetcar Named Desire inspired wonder in me. Living in Baton Rouge has refreshed my appreciation for the disparity between reality and literature. I credit family, teachers, and friends (both near and far) with helping me overcome all the obstacles and duties associated with a doctoral program. A special thanks to my parents, sister, and grandparents for their unconditional support and encouragement. Thanks to my committee— Les Wade, Robin Roberts, Jennifer Jones, Bill Harbin, Femi Euba, and Irene Di Maio— for their insightful suggestions and consistent faith in my abilities. As committee chair, Bill Harbin exhibited unfailing confidence in me, offering valuable advice to improve this work. As my minor advisor, Robin Roberts worked far beyond the expectations of her position, providing me with drive and focus that enabled me to do my best. I appreciate my committee's help not only with the dissertation, but also in their classroom instruction over the years. I am blessed by a wide circle of friends and I thank each of the following people for their good deeds, positive thoughts and prayers, and for putting a smile on my face or v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. providing laughter: Eric Wiley (particularly for your help surviving German!); Don Whittaker; Drayton Vincent; Jill Tyler and Steve Miller; Larry Thelen; Wendell Stone; Shawn Shepherd; David and Donna Sedevie (especially for your refreshing Midwestern energy and the best parties in Baton Rouge); Matthew Schmall; Brendan Rush; Tony and Pem Medlin; Ann Mason; Amber Lynch; Kelly James; Jay Jagim; Anita Hall; Mark and Rebecca Gruber; Rob Glenn; Diane Finnerty and Jill Jack; Terry Converse; Connie Canaday Howard and Rex Howard; Tim Budd; Mary Brown; Stephen Berwind; Lisa and Tracy Bales (the best grandkids anyone could hope for); Hamilton Armstrong; and Nels Anderson. Finally, I want to single out three cherished friends who supported me through every challenge I faced at Louisiana State University with regularity and devotion: Al Shannon, David Heide, and Amy Cuomo. Through his fine example, Al made me stay tenacious and strong, proving that we must never give in to our worst fears. David' s faith in me remains unshakable, and he consistently demonstrated his treasured friendship, challenging me when I needed it and always communicating his affection. Of course, Amy has been the best part of my time in Baton Rouge. She allowed me to be myself, always let it be known that she was available for advice and attention, and showed that she cared for me despite my many faults and quirks. You three dear ones made the last five years bearable. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Acknowledgments........................................... v Abstract............................................... viii Chapter 1 Introduction..................................... 1 2 "It's the Festival, Babe. It ain't always Festival": The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival; A Popular Performance...... 22 3 "Traveling wears me out.": Travel and Tourism in Williams' Favorite City..................... 68 4 "What you are talking about is brutal desire- just—Desire! " : The Male as Object of Sexual Longing and Perpetrator of Violence.......... 114 5 "Set down on the steps and have a cigarette with me.": Drugs in the City Care Forgot..........160 6 "Such things as art—as poetry and music—such kinds of new light have come into the world since then!": Art and Artists as a Sanctuary from Squalor....................................... 200 7 "Oh, well, it's his pleasure, like mine is movies'': The Film and Television Adaptations of A Streetcar Named Desire: New Orleans in Mass Culture....................................... 246 8 Conclusion.................................... 286 Works Cited............................................. 295 Vita.....................................................307 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Abstract Vieux Carrd (1978), Suddenly Last Summer (1958), and A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) are among the many Tennessee Williams' plays and short stories that take New Orleans as their setting; they demonstrate how the city offered an appropriate and complex metaphor to explore his themes. This study centers on Tennessee Williams and New Orleans and explores how the two are linked in a mutually advantageous relationship, how the city informed his work, how his works reflect/re-create