This thesis offers a close analysis of four of John Osborne’s plays from the position of the reparative reader. Reconsidering the following works: Look Back in Anger (1956), The Entertainer (1957), A Subject of Scandal and Concern (1960), and Inadmissible Evidence (1964), to offer the reader a new perspective that will challenge historical critique and response to the work of John Osborne. Over sixty years on, Osborne’s plays continue to be staged, which suggests there is still some commercial interest in this previously canonized and, subsequently, criticized work, yet academic scholarship seems somewhat out of step with cultural reality as scholars have not continued to engage in the same way with these works. Therefore, this timely study offers an updated, nuanced reading to confront some problematic themes and content and suggest new ways of grappling with Osborne’s plays for contemporary scholarship. These plays are often viewed and critiqued through the lens of ‘anger,’ as if the label of ‘angry you man’ has overshadowed his work and critical thinking. In my view, it would be a misreading to read Osborne only through this lens. I aim to view Osborne’s work through the lens of masculinity, and by drawing on the sociological analysis of Raewyn Connell’s hegemonic masculinity, I identify in Osborne’s angry male characters, a resistance, conflict, struggle, and failure to live up to the patterns and systems that Connell proposes are linked to hegemonic ideology. By drawing on feminist theatre critique, I can engage with the play's representation of dominant cultural ideology, thus forging a new perspective, post the #MeToo movement, that looks to subvert dramatizations of male dominance and female oppression for a 2024 reevaluation.
Date of Award | 27 Sep 2024 |
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Original language | English |
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Supervisor | Nik Taylor (Main Supervisor) |
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