Unveiling the Feminine Voice in Modern American Drama

Abstract

The moment one thinks of successful playwrights in American drama, one spontaneously thinks of Eugene O’Neill, Arthur Miller, etc, whereas women seem to be invisible. Is drama a male bastion? With this question in mind, the presenter started the journey and was stunned to see that not only have many women been writing plays but also received recognition during their time. Unfortunately, they did not get the due attention in the canon of theatrical history. ‘Canons’ in themselves are highly questionable constructs, historically set by men according to some feminists.  This paper unravels the work of two women playwrights, namely, Susan Glaspell and Zona Gale, who have made a significant contribution to modern American drama by establishing a female tradition in American drama.  “Women dominate their own experience by imagining it, giving it form, writing about it…They define for themselves and for their readers, a woman as she is and as she dreams” (The Female Imagination, Spacks). By closely examining Glaspell’s Trifles and Gale’s Miss Lulu Bett, one may explore how a distinct female voice emanates through these works. In part one, the paper provides a brief background about the conditions in which these women wrote. The second part addresses the themes handled by these dramatists and the third part forms the conclusion.