The Hollowness of American Myths in Sam Shepard ́s "Buried Child"

The Hollowness of American Myths in Sam Shepard ́s Author: Simone Leisentritt
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640830644
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 33

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Tubingen (Englisches Seminar), course: PS II Literary Studies: Family Scenes: The American Family on Stage, language: English, abstract: "This study holds that the coherence of the [American] nation owes much to the potency of its communal 'stories', those myths given prominence in cultural consciousness." (Wade 3). According to Wade, the American culture is based on certain myths, on complex systems of attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic for a specific society or group (cf. Collins Dictionary 1077). The history of the nation and the experience of westward expansion resulted in certain myths that are still present in the American imagination (cf. Companion Drama 286). U.S. playwright Sam Shepard is known for his interest in national myths, which he defines as mysteries that speak to the emotions and feelings of people, and in the prominence of such myths in modern society (cf. Graham 112). Thus, Shepard sees his plays as tools for cultural conversation by which he questions American myths (cf. Companion Drama 291). One of Shepard ́s most popular plays is the family drama Buried Child, which unfolds the dark secret of a family living in a farm house in Midwestern Illinois (cf. BC ). This term paper will focus on two myths which are dominant in Buried Child: The myth of the generic middle-class family in the U.S. and the myth of the American Midwest. How does Sam Shepard reveal these myths in his family drama, and how does he demonstrate their hollowness? The first chapter will be based on the myth of the generic American family, on its definition, its appearance in the play, and on the question how this myth is criticized. The second chapter will focus on the myth of the American Midwest in the same line.

The Hollowness of American Myths in Sam Shepard ́s "Buried Child"

The Hollowness of American Myths in Sam Shepard ́s Author: Simone Leisentritt
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3640830644
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 33

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Tubingen (Englisches Seminar), course: PS II Literary Studies: Family Scenes: The American Family on Stage, language: English, abstract: "This study holds that the coherence of the [American] nation owes much to the potency of its communal 'stories', those myths given prominence in cultural consciousness." (Wade 3). According to Wade, the American culture is based on certain myths, on complex systems of attitudes, beliefs, and values that are characteristic for a specific society or group (cf. Collins Dictionary 1077). The history of the nation and the experience of westward expansion resulted in certain myths that are still present in the American imagination (cf. Companion Drama 286). U.S. playwright Sam Shepard is known for his interest in national myths, which he defines as mysteries that speak to the emotions and feelings of people, and in the prominence of such myths in modern society (cf. Graham 112). Thus, Shepard sees his plays as tools for cultural conversation by which he questions American myths (cf. Companion Drama 291). One of Shepard ́s most popular plays is the family drama Buried Child, which unfolds the dark secret of a family living in a farm house in Midwestern Illinois (cf. BC ). This term paper will focus on two myths which are dominant in Buried Child: The myth of the generic middle-class family in the U.S. and the myth of the American Midwest. How does Sam Shepard reveal these myths in his family drama, and how does he demonstrate their hollowness? The first chapter will be based on the myth of the generic American family, on its definition, its appearance in the play, and on the question how this myth is criticized. The second chapter will focus on the myth of the American Midwest in the same line.

The Fall of the Great Modern American Family Myth in Sam Shepard's "Buried Child", "A Lie of the Mind", "Fool for Love", and "True West"

The Fall of the Great Modern American Family Myth in Sam Shepard's Author: Lynn Walker Shields
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fool for love
Languages : en
Pages : 94

Get Book Here

Book Description


Myth in Decline [microform] : Sam Shepard and The American Dream

Myth in Decline [microform] : Sam Shepard and The American Dream PDF Author: Jeffery William Fenn
Publisher: National Library of Canada
ISBN: 9780315153257
Category : Myth in literature
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description


A Metaphorical Analysis of the Breakdown of the American Family in Sam Shepard's Buried Child and Curse of the Starving Class

A Metaphorical Analysis of the Breakdown of the American Family in Sam Shepard's Buried Child and Curse of the Starving Class PDF Author: Kevin Inman
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book Here

Book Description


Sam Shepard and His Examination of Western American Myth

Sam Shepard and His Examination of Western American Myth PDF Author: David Matthew LaSpaluto
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Myth in literature
Languages : en
Pages : 194

Get Book Here

Book Description


Inescapable Webs

Inescapable Webs PDF Author: Shu-li Wang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Get Book Here

Book Description


Sam Shepard's American Mythology

Sam Shepard's American Mythology PDF Author: Konstantinos Blatanis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description


The Other Side of Love

The Other Side of Love PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
From one of his earliest plays-Rock Garden (1964)-to one of his most recent works-The Late Henry Moss (2000)-Sam Shepard has been fascinated by the American family. Shepard, this dissertation argues, presents a markedly "gothic" portrait of the American family by borrowing dramatic techniques from the "gothic" literary tradition in order to critique traditional American myths about the family-including the belief that a type of social harmony, even utopia, will result if each family member adheres strictly to his or her prescribed role within the family unit. Shepard's critique of the American family is in many ways a critique of modern American culture, though Shepard himself balks at being called a social critic, insisting he is much more interested in highly charged emotional and psychic states of individual characters. Using gothic techniques-including uncanny moments, incest, ghosts, and doppelgangers-Shepard engages in subtle cultural critique without seeming programmatic or didactic. The American gothic family is comprised of identifiable character types: the fallen father, the alienated mother, and the haunted son. These recur in Shepard's gothic family plays, as well as in the gothic family plays of Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams. In examining Shepard's gothic families, this dissertation employs a psychological methodology, including an examination of how attempts to repress traumatic memories ultimately fail, resulting in a gothic "return" of the repressed past. The examination of Shepard's "family plays" focuses on five major works-Curse of the Starving Class, Buried Child, True West, Fool for Love, and A Lie of the Mind-as well as two relatively "minor" plays: The Holy Ghostly, States of Shock. A final chapter examines The Late Henry Moss, the latest installment in Shepard's "gothic" project.

The Disintegration of a Dream

The Disintegration of a Dream PDF Author: Diane Lilian Watt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Families in literature
Languages : en
Pages : 318

Get Book Here

Book Description


Myths of the West

Myths of the West PDF Author: Shima Shahbazi
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing
ISBN: 9783659205118
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240

Get Book Here

Book Description
A concern with myths is central to the drama of Sam Shepard, one of the leading figures in contemporary American drama and culture. What is the modality of this mythic orientation and its relation to American history and culture? In an attempt to answer this question the writers focus on the recurrent theme of the hope to find order and meaning in the present by coming to terms with the haunting specters of the past in Shepard's plays. They look into the visionary quests of Shepard's characters for identity in the Old West in relation to the American Dream. Central to their analysis is the playwright's historiographic reading of the past through 'myths' that bear the values of the popular culture and the highly parodic presentation of the old myths in the postmodern era. The writers shed light on the bonds between today's culture and the past values of a nation formed into myths. They probe the unique way Shepard approaches these myths as a means of reviewing the past from a critical point of view. Those interested in historiography of the American culture, especially American pop culture, and Sam Shepard's drama will find the book a valuable source.