A Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays
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East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2002 A Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays. Bonny Ball Copenhaver East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, and the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons Recommended Citation Copenhaver, Bonny Ball, "A Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays." (2002). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 632. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/632 This Dissertation - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays A dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis by Bonny Ball Copenhaver May 2002 Dr. W. Hal Knight, Chair Dr. Jack Branscomb Dr. Nancy Dishner Dr. Russell West Keywords: Gender Roles, Feminism, Modernism, Postmodernism, American Theatre, Robbins, Glaspell, O'Neill, Miller, Williams, Hansbury, Kennedy, Wasserstein, Shange, Wilson, Mamet, Vogel ABSTRACT The Portrayal of Gender and a Description of Gender Roles in Selected American Modern and Postmodern Plays by Bonny Ball Copenhaver The purpose of this study was to describe how gender was portrayed and to determine how gender roles were depicted and defined in a selection of Modern and Postmodern American plays. This study was based on the symbolic interaction theory of gender that suggests that social roles are learned over time and are subject to constant reinforcement. The significance of this study was derived from the broad topic of gender because gender issues are relevant to a variety of fields and exploring the effects of gender in one field contributes to the understanding of gender in another field. The plays in this study were Votes for Women, Robins; Trifles, Glaspell; Our Town, Wilder; Moon for the Misbegotten, O'Neill; The Glass Menagerie, Williams; Death of a Salesman, Miller; A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry; Funnyhouse of a Negro, Kennedy; Uncommon Women and Others, Wasserstein; Fefu and Her Friends, Fornes; spell #7, Shange; Fool for Love, Shepard; Fences, Wilson; Oleanna, Mamet; and How I Learned to Drive, Vogel. Two of the study's research questions explored the types of gender roles and behaviors that the characters presented. Two questions focused on considering if the time period or the sex of the playwright were factors in the presentations of gender. Gender behaviors were divided into four categories: Behavior Characteristics, Communication Patterns, Sources of Power, and Physical Appearance. Using narrative analysis techniques, the plays were analyzed for the specific traits in each category. The majority of the characters were assigned traditional gender roles and displayed traditional gender behavior traits. Based their gender roles and behavior in their roles, characters faced limitations that confined their actions and restricted their choices. Characters experienced consequences for their behaviors, and female characters received harsher punishments for deviant behaviors than male characters. Gender portrayal in Modern plays was more in keeping with traditional patterns than in Postmodern plays. Female playwrights presented more diverse roles for female characters and often explored gender as a major theme in their plays. Where applicable, race, in concert with gender, was an additional factor that governed characters' behaviors by further restricting behavior or possible actions. 2 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the following three people with all of my love and appreciation: To my husband, Alan, who had faith in me when I did not; who encouraged me when others did not; who never once complained about the time I devoted to this project; and whose love and strength will always sustain me. To my mother, Mary Ball, who always wanted me to pursue this degree; who inspired me to reach for my goals; and who taught me to be the kind of woman who took pride in where I came from and to look forward to where I was going. To my father, Bob Ball, who also always wanted me to pursue this degree; who never failed to ask about my progress; and who showed me how to have great strength and courage in times of trouble. 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge the following people who have so generously given a part of themselves to help me to complete this project. Dr. Hal Knight: whose counsel throughout my program has been invaluable; who patiently waited for me find my own direction and voice for this study; who allowed me the freedom to pursue a less than traditional ELPA project; and who always knew that the bumps along the way would eventually smooth out—even when I did not know they would. Dr. Jack Branscomb: who willingly agreed to be a part of this project and whose scholarship and dedication to education I will always admire. Dr. Nancy Dishner: who was always excited about this project and who never failed to convey that excitement. Dr. Russell West: who encouraged me to always look for the voice of the other and to not be afraid to find what is different among what appears to be the same. Dr. Robert Funk, Ms. Amanda Aldridge, and Dr. Dennis Elkins: who readily agreed to be a part of this project and who graciously shared their knowledge to improve the quality of this study. Ms. Tami Penley: who agreed to be my debriefer without hesitation; who listed to many ideas in fragmented form and never once thought me crazy; who encouraged me to see this project through to the very end. Mr. Jon Harr: who agreed to remain my auditor even when the topic changed and who encouraged me from the beginning to enter this program. Ms. Kim Crowder-Vaughn: whose constant friendship over the years has meant so much; who has a special way of encouraging me; and whose skill in proofreading saved me again. The Library Staff at Mountain Empire Community College, especially Ms. Martha Rhoton, who willingly and efficiently ordered many interlibrary loans; her professionalism made my research process go much more quickly and for that I am eternally grateful. 4 CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................2 DEDICATION............................................................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................4 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................13 The Theatre and Society ...............................................................................................14 Gender Roles and Society.............................................................................................16 World-Views.................................................................................................................18 The Problem of the Study .............................................................................................20 Purpose of the Study and Research Questions..............................................................21 Assumptions and Limitations .......................................................................................22 Significance of the Study..............................................................................................22 Overview of the Study ..................................................................................................23 2. REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE ........................................................................24 Gender Role Theory......................................................................................................24 Biological Theory .............................................................................................25 Structural-Functional Theory............................................................................26 Social Learning Theory.....................................................................................29 Cognitive Development Theory........................................................................30 Gender Schema Theory.....................................................................................32 Symbolic Interaction Theory ............................................................................33 5 Modernism ....................................................................................................................37 Modernism and the Theatre ..........................................................................................44 Postmodernism..............................................................................................................47 Postmodernism and the