The book attempts to cover the misunderstanding of the female characters in Edward Bond's plays. None of the criticism has developed specifically the role of these women as speakers of their social context. The reader will discover female spokeswomen of revolution, committed and suffering mothers but also the personification of evil and wickedness.

This book focuses on an unexplored area of Edward Bond's writing. While different studies examine the violence present in his plays or his dramatic theory, questions around his powerful female characters have remained unsolved. None of the criticism has developed specifically the role of these women as speakers of their social context. The human condition that Bond depicts in his plays is not gender-oriented. From his early plays, Edward Bond has been considered misogynist, but this book presents the possibility to discover a different Bond as a writer on women with powerful voices. The reader of this book will discover in these women female spokeswomen of revolution, committed and suffering mothers but also the personification of evil and wickedness. Emotions and ideas will be analyzed in these pages in a journey through Bond's feminine universe closer to reality than to stage. Justice, the essence of humanity or the nature of oppression are dealt with through the construction of brilliant characters with no possibility of catharsis. This vision of drama as a social forum clearly exemplifies Bond's defense on the possibility of change.

Autorentext

Susana Nicolás Román is lecturer in the English Department at the University of Almeria (Spain). She holds a PhD in English contemporary theatre. She has published extensively on educational drama and Edward Bond s plays. She is the author of two books about the female characters in Bond and editor of a volume on the use of drama in CLIL. Her research areas focus on the connection between theatre and social education, innovation in foreign language teaching and acting skills as resources to enhance motivation. She is an active collaborator in theatre projects in Spain and has recently coedited a volume about the interpretation of female evils through film/stage and other literary forms.

Klappentext

This book focuses on an unexplored area of Edward Bond s writing. While different studies examine the violence present in his plays or his dramatic theory, questions around his powerful female characters have remained unsolved. None of the criticism has developed specifically the role of these women as speakers of their social context. The human condition that Bond depicts in his plays is not gender-oriented. From his early plays, Edward Bond has been considered misogynist, but this book presents the possibility to discover a different Bond as a writer on women with powerful voices. The reader of this book will discover in these women female spokeswomen of revolution, committed and suffering mothers but also the personification of evil and wickedness. Emotions and ideas will be analyzed in these pages in a journey through Bond s feminine universe closer to reality than to stage. Justice, the essence of humanity or the nature of oppression are dealt with through the construction of brilliant characters with no possibility of catharsis. This vision of drama as a social forum clearly exemplifies Bond s defense on the possibility of change.

Inhalt

Interview with Edward Bond - Contemporary British drama - Female characters - Riot, revival and the feminine passive in Saved - Female wickedness and violence: Narrow Road to the Deep North and Lear - The revolutionary woman in Human Cannon - Dramatic form, female characters and implacable politics in Restoration and Summer - Other Mothers Courage: The War Plays - Castrated Ladies: Bond's mirthless mothers - Strong and active women in the Big Brum plays