Marginalized: Southern Women Playwrights Confront Race, Region, and Gender

Drama has received little attention in southern studies, and women playwrights receive less recognition than their male counterparts. In Marginalized: Southern Women Playwrights Confront Race, Region, and Gender, author Casey Kayser examines the work of southern women playwrights to argue that representations of the American South on stage are complicated by difficulties of identity, genre, and region. Kayser's analysis of dramatic texts, reviews of productions, and playwrights' statements reveals that playwrights draw on various conscious strategies to challenge monolithic understandings of northern and southern regions and create new visions of the South.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 182 pages
Publication date: 23 August 2021
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

In stark contrast to other literary genres, drama has received relatively little attention within the realm of southern studies, and women playwrights, in general, have garnered less recognition than their male counterparts. This discrepancy is particularly evident when it comes to representations of the American South on stage, as these narratives are intricately woven with complexities of identity, genre, and region. To address these gaps, author Casey Kayser has undertaken a groundbreaking exploration in her book, Marginalized: Southern Women Playwrights Confront Race, Region, and Gender. Through meticulous analysis of dramatic texts, the rhetoric of reviews of productions, and the insights provided by the playwrights themselves, Kayser skillfully delineates these challenges and makes a compelling argument that playwrights employ various conscious strategies in response. These strategies, evident in the works of renowned playwrights such as Pearl Cleage, Sandra Deer, Lillian Hellman, Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, and Shay Youngblood, offer them a platform to challenge monolithic perceptions of northern and southern regions and ultimately envision new and transformative visions of the South. By delving into the rich tapestry of southern women's playwriting, Marginalized: Southern Women Playwrights Confront Race, Region, and Gender sheds light on the untold stories and contributions of these talented artists, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the region's cultural landscape.

Weight: 344g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496835918