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STILL LIFE: A DRAMATURGICAL STUDY OF A VIETNAM WAR PLAY

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Date Issued:
2008
Abstract/Description:
Emily Mann's play Still Life is a story of a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to a less than enthusiastic welcome. Like most veterans from this war, he struggles to come to terms with the atrocities he witnessed and even carried out himself. The play consists of three characters: Mark, a Vietnam veteran, Cheryl, his wife, and Nadine, his lover. Both women believe they intrinsically understand Mark, but neither truly can. Mark has returned from the war violent, irrevocably broken, and feeling that he has been abandoned by society. Emily Mann interviewed real people and transcribed their words into theatre of fact to provide a fresh outlook into a tumultuous period of American history. This thesis will explore the historical and artistic significance of Emily Mann's Still Life and its depiction of the political and cultural atmosphere of post-war America. Specifically, I will discuss the reception of the Vietnam soldiers and how they were affected by the war socially, psychologically and economically. I will explore interviews detailing what these young men experienced while at war, how it affected them then and now, and discuss how these issues are reflected in Emily Mann's Still Life. In addition to interviews, my methodology will consist of scriptural analysis and quantitative research.
Title: STILL LIFE: A DRAMATURGICAL STUDY OF A VIETNAM WAR PLAY.
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Name(s): Fajerski, Lauren, Author
Boyd, Belinda, Committee Chair
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2008
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Emily Mann's play Still Life is a story of a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to a less than enthusiastic welcome. Like most veterans from this war, he struggles to come to terms with the atrocities he witnessed and even carried out himself. The play consists of three characters: Mark, a Vietnam veteran, Cheryl, his wife, and Nadine, his lover. Both women believe they intrinsically understand Mark, but neither truly can. Mark has returned from the war violent, irrevocably broken, and feeling that he has been abandoned by society. Emily Mann interviewed real people and transcribed their words into theatre of fact to provide a fresh outlook into a tumultuous period of American history. This thesis will explore the historical and artistic significance of Emily Mann's Still Life and its depiction of the political and cultural atmosphere of post-war America. Specifically, I will discuss the reception of the Vietnam soldiers and how they were affected by the war socially, psychologically and economically. I will explore interviews detailing what these young men experienced while at war, how it affected them then and now, and discuss how these issues are reflected in Emily Mann's Still Life. In addition to interviews, my methodology will consist of scriptural analysis and quantitative research.
Identifier: CFE0002004 (IID), ucf:47622 (fedora)
Note(s): 2008-05-01
M.A.
Arts and Humanities, Department of Theatre
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Vietnam Theatre
docudrama
Still Life
Emily Mann
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002004
Restrictions on Access: public
Host Institution: UCF

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