Discussion Topic
The literary genre and type of play of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Summary:
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is a tragic drama. It combines elements of both realism and expressionism to explore complex themes such as desire, mental illness, and the decline of the Southern aristocracy.
What is the literary genre of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams?
I am sure you could make it fit into any genre that you wish. You would
simply need to justify your interpretation of why it fits.
It could easily fit into the genre of a Domestic Drama given the play
depicts everyday life for the characters. For example, the violence which
happens seems so "everyday" that the characters tend to ignore it and see no
problem with it.
Given that Naturalism is an offshoot of Realism, you could easily make it fit
there as well. Realism simply lessens the idea that nature is all powerful (as
seen in Naturalism). Outside of that, they are very similar.
Tennessee Williams' play, A Streetcar Named Desire, is a drama. The term drama is Greek in origin, meaning "action." Outside of that, dramas are placed into subcategories. This play is what is known as a melodrama.
A melodrama is a...
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play whose actions and plot are meant to appeal to the emotional side of the viewer. The characters tend to be over-dramatic and overly emotional which adds to the overall sense of the "woes me" mood of the play.
While the production of melodramatic plays was coming to an end when A Streetcar Named Desire was produced, Williams (assumedly) did not care. The fact that Blanche was a character recognized for her dramatic sighs, overly emotional outbursts, and inappropriate flirtatious nature can support the melodramatic characteristics of the play.
While I support the play as being one of the melodramatic nature, some critics have identified it as one which belongs to the genre of dramatic naturalism. Naturalism was a movement, initiated by French writer Emile Zola (Germinal). Naturalistic writers were ones who wrote about the power of nature over mankind. Regardless of what mankind would do, nature would always win. Naturalistic authors/playwrights tended to take the stand of a scientist watching an experiment unfold before them. They, the authors, would not "interfere" with the action; they would only "notate" what happened.
Therefore, one could easily justify that A Streetcar Named Desire fell into this genre as well. Given Blanche's desire to conquer all, change Stella's life, and break Stanley, the fact that she goes insane shows nature's power over her.
What type of play is A Streetcar Named Desire?
A Streetcar Named Desire is a tragic drama. Tragedies involve a character (usually from a high social position) experiencing a reversal of fortune, leading to their downfall. This character is also brought low by a tragic flaw.
Blanche Dubois is the tragic heroine of the story. Coming from a life of high social class and romance, Blanche's life is besieged with almost every kind of loss even before the proper start of the play: she loses her family, her estate, her youthful dreams, and her young husband. During the play, Blanche tries to get Mitch to marry her as a last resort, hoping she can find a new start through the relationship. Unfortunately, she cannot outrun her past: Mitch learns the truth and abandons her, while Stanley rapes her, triggering a final mental breakdown. By the last scene, Blanche has lost her hold on reality and is confined to an asylum.
Blanche's tragic flaw is her belief that she can fight reality and win. She lies all the time, not from malice but from a desperate desire to make her lies appear true, whether she's fibbing about her age or claiming she does not have a drinking problem. Stanley becomes a stand-in for reality itself, ultimately pushing Blanche to the point of no return.