This paper covers an analysis of The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman and my costume design process from beginning to end for the production at Southern Illinois University in May of 2015. The first chapter is my proposal for the costume design as well as a thorough play analysis and Lillian Hellman’s background. Chapter two covers my design process, and discoveries made through the design meeting process. The production is discussed in Chapter three when my designs were realized, and Chapter five is a reflection on the entire process after the show closed. The subsequent appendices include additional renderings and photographs to further enhance my written analysis.

This study analyzed the personalities and actions of Regina, Birdie, Alexandra, and Lavinia from Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes and Another Part of the Forest. The analysis was focused on the relationship between the life and personality of Lillian Hellman and each of the characters. The method of character analysis that was used was that described by David Grote in Script Analysis, but the effect of cultural history on the characters and on Lillian Hellman was examined as well. It was discovered that Lillian Hellman had infused the characters with many aspects her own personality. In the case of Regina and Lavinia, Hellman also used the characterizations to sort out her mixed feelings toward her parents.

Many types of literary criticism have been used successfully in the analysis of literature for oral interpretation. Feminist criticism looks at literature from a female perspective and explores the effects of society's beliefs about the nature, place, and function of women as revealed in literary plots and characters. The hypothesis of this dissertation is that feminist criticism will prove to be of value for interpreters in the analysis stage of preparation. An original method of analysis, based on the tenets of feminist criticism, was developed by this author and applied to women in the four major plays of Lillian Hellman. The methodology focusses on character analysis, featuring inquiry into the character's role, values, self image, finances, attitudes toward sex, and measure of power. To judge the value of the methodology, critics' opinions of the women were surveyed and compared. This comparison revealed the method's power to generate fresh, innovative insights into the characters and to disclose new interpretations of the plays themselves. The method focussed attention onto the societal forces of sexual conditioning which restrict women and cause them to adopt stereotypical roles and patterns of behavior. The study concluded that feminist analysis is a viable critical approach for interpreters and that the methodology of this dissertation, being defined, consistent, and reliable, was capable of producing valuable and useful results.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Beeson Divinity School, 1996. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-113).

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

A randomly-selected sample of 31,115 words taken from the eight original plays of Lillian Hellman was analyzed on the basis of female and male dialogue. Lexical classes--verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns--were examined by studying terms described by other researchers, especially Mary P. Hiatt, as belonging to generally "feminine" or "masculine" categories. In these classes, differences were statistically significant based on gender in two areas.Adjective figures that took into account type 1) of adjective, 2) of referent, and 3) of speaker showed statistical significance. This was true only for the "feminine" adjectives, especially as used by female speakers for female referents. Pronouns were distributed through the plays and used by the genders of speakers at significant levels of difference. A connection was evidenced between each gender of speaker and the gender of pronouns used, a strong relationship that also showed significance by play.Areas of syntax studied were emphasis, communication unit length, and clause structure. Markings of emphasis were significant by gender, female characters having both more instances and more marked words. Length evidenced no difference, likely because of requirements of the dramatic setting. The study of clause structure showed that female characters were given more whole sentences and more coordination at significant levels.Each area studied was analyzed for statistical significance. Hiatt's results were also statisticaly calculated and reported. Significance was based on chi-square calculations, at a level of p < .05 for rejecting null hypotheses. In addition to an axis based on gender, figures were also computed for specific plays.Applying the categories to individual plays and characters showed Hellman"s use of these strategies to define personality. For instance, with adjectives and emphasis, types more often given to female characters were also given in comparatively large number to themen in the Hubbard plays (The Little Foxes, and Another Part of the Forest), thereby marking them as unusual and adding to their characterization. / Department of English

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of History, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-172). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-172). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgia State University, 2006. / Title from title screen. Audrey Goodman, committee chair; Thomas L. McHaney, Elizabeth West, committee members. Electronic text (253 p.) : digital, PDF file. Description based on contents viewed May15, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (243-253).