This study sought to determine the nature of feminist theatre as a persuasive process and to determine the correspondence between the rhetoric of feminist theatre and the ideology of the women's movement. Feminist theatre is a small, but strong, form of in-group communication that primarily serves the left wing of the women's movement. / Evidence was gathered from feminist theatre groups located primarily in the eastern and central United States. The analysis of twenty feminist dramas, dating from 1967 to 1982, served as a focus for the study. The plays were categorized under three general headings: "sexual politics," "the woman-identified woman," and "family roles and relationship." Within the categories, each play was subjected to rhetorical analysis based on an Aristotelian method. The analysis was primarily designed to discover modes of proof and types of discourse as indicators of the rhetorical structure of feminist drama. The examination of the drama showed that feminist plays contain rhetorical features similar to other radical women's liberation rhetoric, and the major issues discussed in the drama do have a direct link to the radical ideology of the women's movement. / In addition to the analysis of the plays, a model was developed which showed how feminist theatre functions as a multi-locational rhetorical process. The model was a basis for the discussion of the communication interchanges that take place in the feminist theatre phenomenon. The locations in the process where persuasion occurs include the research and discussion period when a group works on a new play, the actual performance of the drama, and the discussion between audience and actors that often follows a performance. The thesis was advanced that the type of persuasion occurring is primarily belief-bolstering. Both actors and audience members are feminists who, as a result of emotional involvement with the drama, strengthen their commitment to feminist convictions. The logical arguments in the drama offer a rational justification for commitment and provide the women with arguments which can be used against the opposition. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-07, Section: A, page: 1971. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75132 |
| Contributors | NATALLE, ELIZABETH JO., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 235 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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