A streetcar named desire - Exploration notes context/structure/language/plot&subplot/visual aural spatial.

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A Streetcar Named Desire

Exploration Notes: Context

The play Streetcar Named Desire (hereafter SND) was written in 1947 at a very unstable time in American society. A time of 'American Realism', which was about the corruption of the American dream. The events of the time clearly had a big influence on Williams' work and inspired a lot of his writing.

* Part of context of the play is the concept of the civil war and the North- South divide on the issue of slavery, with Blanche representing the southern states of America, and Stanley representing the North. Before the civil war, the south of America was incredibly rich, in comparison with the North, due in the greater part to cotton production. The North was poor at this time and struggling economically. However, after the war, with the abolition of slavery the economic balance power shifted, as the prosperity had depended on slave labour. Production fell and with it the wealth of the South.

* The parallels between the above and the relationship between Blanche and Stanley are very clear. Initially Blanche, as a guest in the house, has the power. Her behaviour reflects this