Orpheus and the Feminine Agent: Williams, Cocteau, and the Postmodern
Open Access
Author:
Rocchino, Samantha Leigh
Area of Honors:
Comparative Literature
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Sydney Sue Aboul Hosn, Thesis Supervisor Sydney Sue Aboul Hosn, Thesis Honors Advisor Caroline Davis Eckhardt, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
feminine agent tennessee williams jean cocteau postmodernism
Abstract:
The objective of this paper is to explore the concept of gender and agency as exemplified through the retelling of the Orpheus myth. In Ovid’s version of the myth, Orpheus undoubtedly serves as agent. Yet, in two modern adaptations of the classic myth, an American play by Tennessee Williams titled Orpheus Descending and a French play by Jean Cocteau titled Orphée, the agent and the gender of the agent are reversed, and the Eurydice character takes the place of Orpheus as the mover of action. By exploring aspects of language and textual representations in each play, this paper analyzes the shift and addresses the purpose of Williams’ and Cocteau’s shift in agency and then addresses the purpose of evaluating both Williams’ and Cocteau’s commentary on artistic inspiration and how that commentary informs postmodernist theories on structure. The questions to answer are the following: how does the Orpheus myth establish Orpheus as agent and how does each adaptation reverse that establishment and feature Eurydice as agent? How does the issue of feminine agency affect our view of the role of artistic inspiration, and how does that view address postmodernist theory?
