The Glass Menagerie Tristan, Jacob, Harrison Author Choices Stage - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Glass Menagerie Tristan, Jacob, Harrison

Author Choices Stage Directions Juxtaposition Narration

Stage Directions Specific directions brings life to the play Guides characters Shapes emotions and responses Shapes dynamics that require them Play is a dream Food is imagined Creates tone for the scenes How the actors move

Juxtaposition Menagerie and the setting Nice Glass collection Ragged apartment Laura and other characters Fragile person Caught in their own worlds Different coping methods Use of the element emphasizes others

Narration Tom- Opening Scenes 1, 3, 6, and 7 Purpose Provides characterization in little time Sets the scene with the tonality of the context Introspective look into the narrator’s thoughts Reveals Author’s Intentions Memory, Interactions, Symbols

Literary Lenses Structuralism Historicism Reader Response Criticism

Structuralism Exposition Amanda- Mother, Nostalgic and Controlling/Pressing Laura- Daughter and Sister, Defected, Social Awkward Tom- Son and Brother, Restless, Man of the House Inciting Incident Laura: Amanda argues with Laura on the basis of schooling Tom: Tom and Amanda’s argument about how Tom spends his time Rising Action

Structuralism Climax Tom: Learning that he is a member of The Union of Merchant Seamen, and plans to leave like his father Laura: The breaking of her glass unicorn Falling Action Learning that Jim has a lover and him leaving Resolution Tom leaving “beyond the moon” OOT

Historicism ● Great Depression Era setting ● First presented to the audience of 1945 ○ Original audience had experienced the Great Depression ○ Grim common experience used as the setting ● Dark commonalities in experience express William’s melancholy ○ Personal loss to mental illness and neglect ○ Play’s tonality set by historical backdrop

Reader Response Criticism Underlying economic struggle shows audience consideration Alternative focus on social conflict Personal Desire vs. Responsibility Love vs. Social Ineptitude The audience’s interpretation differs between performances Romanticized performances give weight to character relationships

Film Clips (1973): http://ytcropper.com/cropped/k35706e9617804f (1987): http://ytcropper.com/cropped/nD5706f3670a5a9 (2014): http://ytcropper.com/cropped/Ae5706ef10a71b7

Discussion How does the setting affect the effectiveness of the themes of the play? How do stage directions affect the dramatic arc of the story? What effect does juxtaposition have on the effectiveness of the drama in the play? To what extent does the audience being omniscient of the narrator affect the underlying theme of the play?