Masaryk University

MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE GENDER ISSUES IN SELECTED PLAYS BY PAULA VOGEL Bachelor Thesis Brno 2018 Supervisor: Author: Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. Vlasta Čáslavská Prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem bakalářskou práci vypracovala samostatně, s využitím pouze literárních pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy university a se zákonem č. 121/2000Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů. Declaration I hereby declare I have worked on this diploma thesis entirely on my own, using only the sources listed in the “Works Cited” section. I agree with storing this thesis in the library of the Faculty of Education at Masaryk University and making it available for study and research purposes both in electronic and printed form. Brno, 2018 ...................................................... Author’s signature Acknowledgement Most of all I would like to thank my supervisor Mgr. Lucie Podroužková, Ph.D. for her patience, valuable advice and also a willingness to help and give an opinion. Furthermore, my thanks go to my husband for his help and support not only during the time of writing but also throughout my university studies. Annotation The thesis aims to analyse two of selected theatre plays called Meg and How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel. Gender inequality in the patriarchal society appears to be the central motif examined by this author. Vogel implements social taboo issues into her theatre plays and also examines to which extent are women living basically in a patriarchal society able to accommodate themselves to the male-dominated world. Since Vogel is still living author, a variety of the internet sources are explored in order to get a picture of her work and life, as well as about social background and the significant factors that influence her creation. Key words: Paula Vogel, theatre plays, drama, feminism, patriarchy, taboo issues, education, gender inequality Anotace Cílem této bakalářské práce je analýza dvou vybraných divadelních her, nazvaných Meg a How I Learned od Pauly Vogel. Hlavním tématem této autorky je genderová nerovnost v patriarchální společnosti. Vogel ve svých divadelních hrách reflektuje tabuizovaná témata a zároveň zkoumá, do jaké míry jsou ženy žijící v zásadě patriarchální společnosti, schopny přizpůsobit se světu mužskému. Jelikož je Vogel současnou autorkou, pochází mnoho informací z internetových zdrojů, s cílem získat komplexní představu o jejím životě a díle, stejně jako o společenském pozadí a význačných faktorech, jež ovlivňují její tvorbu. Klíčová slova: Paula Vogel, divadelní hry, drama, feminismus, patriarchát, tabuizovaná témata, vzdělání, genderová nerovnost Table of contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….7 Vogel’s Biography……………………………………………………………………..9 Vogel’s Bibliography…………………………………………………………………..13 Early influences……………………………………………………………………….15 Social Background of America in 1960 – 1970 ……………………………………...19 Meg……………………………………………………………………………………23 How I Learned to Drive………………………………………………………………32 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….41 List of References……………………………………………………………………..44 Introduction The topic of gender inequality in patriarchal society has always been an eternal and inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists of many diverse professions. Relations between the representatives of different genres provide a grateful subject for writers of many artistic genres, as well as playwrights who offer the audience a unique opportunity to watch the drama on stage. People are simply driven to the story performed, they may virtually experience non-standard situations, they can identify themselves with a fictional figure, and finally, being under the impression of the author’s insight into the current issue, they can observe the way women deal with patriarchy and learn to use their female weapons. The playwright who is gifted to see differently, to look at people and subjects from an oblique angle, who does not hesitate to present so-called taboo issues as a comedy, has become an inspiration for the topic of my bachelor thesis. Her name is Paula Vogel. This author is undeniably the person that manages to take up and handle with taboo issues with ease and introduces them with courage and with her typical style of humour. Saddik reveals the secret of Vogel’s creation: “Vogel plays in audience’s expectations and predetermined conception.” (165) It was difficult to decide which of her unique theatre plays will be analyzed. At last, I selected two of them, called Meg and How I Learned to Drive. Both plays differ in the topic examined, although these plays have one common denominator: gender inequality. Searching for different sources focused on her work, I finally realized that Vogel’s masterpiece is not easily available in the Czech Republic as I had expected, despite the fact that Vogel is a highly appreciated playwright in American theatre. This fact stimulated my curiosity even more and I definitely decided to get acquainted with some of her plays and get them at all costs. It was really difficult to acquire her masterpiece called How I Learned to Drive that brought her to the top of popularity. This work of art has been saved in the Theatre Institute in Prague. I was allowed to get a copy of that 7 theatre play published in the book called Plays for the Theatre written by Oscar G. Brockett and Robert J. Ball. This bachelor thesis aims to analyse this gender inequality in selected plays of Paula Vogel, as well as to bring readers closer to the life and work of this still living theatre playwright. It is the position of women in their families that corresponds with the evolution of society, and surprisingly, has not changed much during last four hundred years, as it is documented later in the analysis. Furthermore, this thesis brings readers closer to the author’s opinions and influences that have formed both Vogel’ personality and work in the field of drama. In conversation with literary critic Linda Winer, Vogel describes herself as a cockroach. “What that means is that I’m having a life struggle, identity struggle. The cockroach theory in playwriting is: If you see one cockroach, there is going to be twenty underneath.” (“Women in Theatre”) This theory precisely depicts the creation and focus of this artistry. Paula Vogel clarifies her attitude. She is deeply convinced that people need to look at things from the different perspective than they are used to looking at because emotional issues are not only black and white but grey in a real life. (“Women in theatre”) Mansbridge develops this idea and states: “She does not write “about” AIDS, pornography, and domestic violence, however; instead, she examines how they have come to be framed as “issues”- as sensationalized topics – and focuses on the histories and discourses that have gone into defining them, as well as on the bodies that bear their meanings”. (3) This thesis is composed of six chapters. The first chapter brings readers closer to Vogel’s biography and suggests possible topics inspired by her own life experience. The second chapter focuses on author’s work and provides a chronological list of Vogel’s plays. The next chapter reveals the early influences that formed both her life attitudes and creativity, following by the fourth chapter describing the social background of America that influences the topics chosen for her creation. Then two selected theatre plays are displayed in last two chapters and provide the reader with analyses of selected theatre plays, namely Meg and How I Learned to Drive. 8 Vogel’s Biography Joanna Mansbridge’s book provides the readers with a biographical sketch of Paula Vogel’s life and studies. (2) Paula Vogel was born on November 16, 1951, in Washington, to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. Her father, Donald Stephen Vogel, was an advertising executive, and her mother, Phyllis Rita Bremerman, worked as a secretary for the US Postal Service Training and Development centre. When Paula was eleven, her father left home, and she and her brother Carl remained with their mother, while her elder brother, Mark, lived with their father. Vogel recalls her memories and explains her attitude to her brother by these words: “When my father left home he [Carl] became a father figure. He became a father figure who always paid attention, was always there, giving me books to read. (“Women in Theatre”) Carl’s personality is mentioned in many of her plays. Vogel notes: "In every play, there are a couple of places where I send a message to my late brother Carl. Just a little something in the atmosphere of every play to try and change the homophobia in our world." Carl's likeness appears in such plays as The Long Christmas Ride Home (2003), And Baby Makes Seven, and The Baltimore Waltz. (Paula Vogel: American Playwright”) Her beloved brother died of AIDS-related complications in 1988. In high school, she fell in love with theatre, took a drama class and also began working as a stage manager for school productions. Vogel also recognized her love for women, “coming out as a lesbian at seventeen years old. (“Paula Vogel Biography”) After graduating high school, she attended prestigious Bryn Mawr College, where she created her first play, a musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” (2) Vogel transferred to Catholic University of America and finished her BA in drama in 1974. She was rejected by the Yale School of Drama and instead attended Cornell University where completed all of the requirements for her doctorate in theatre arts, except the dissertation. “She taught intermittently in the Theatre Arts and Women’s Studies Departments at Cornell from 1977 to 1982. “While she was in school and teaching, she was writing plays. Her first play, Meg, was produced at the Kennedy Center, in 9 Washington, DC, in 1977 while she was still in college.

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