Gender and Realism in Plays and Performances by Women (American University Studies Series Xxvii, Feminist Studies)

Rating:
Summary: A Rigorous Examination of "Gender" via Performance Art
Review: This book is a vital examination of our definitions of and preconceptions about gender. Using plays and performances by women, as her vehicle; Ms. Hurley patiently and thoroughly deconstructs our unconscious stereotypes about what constitutes "feminine sexuality" and "feminine behaviour." She goes on to examine the role that performance art by women, plays in creating a sort of "unified field theory" of female gender roles and identity. In her chapter titled, "Feminism and the Gestation Drive in Plays by Pam Gems," the author fillets the diatribe of one particularly misogynous theatre reviewer by asking, "How can a woman be unwomanly?" -Touché!
This book will prove to be an indispensable resource for anyone researching female gender identity as defined by women themselves.