Staging Women: Masochean Masochism and the development of female agency in Restoration Comedy, 1670-1700
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: Department of English Literature
Abstract
The project explores both male and female Restoration playwrights' depictions of sex and marriage and the growth of female sexual agency through the application of Gilles Deleuze's theory of Masochean masochism (1971). Applying this psychological construct of erotic fantasy and the pleasure of denial to Restoration comedy 1670-1700 exposes this period's prevalent male anxieties around virility and perceived female dominance: specifically exploring how unreciprocated libertine desire creates a male sexual identity crisis. In the plays of the period, men are feminised and rendered submissive while women are granted sexual agency to inflict mental pain through humiliation and emasculation. I will combine Deleuze's conceptual vision with meticulous historical research to consider whether this submissiveness becomes a fetishistic desire that satisfies men's sexual fantasies, ultimately affirming masculinity.
My research will challenge recent historically inflected scholarship, primarily based on performance history 1660-1685, that the hypersexual comedy of the period merely reflects patriarchal attempts to diminish female agency. Instead, I will explore the hypothesis that the period demonstrates differing representations of matriarchal ascendency in the theatre which evolved to reflect the socio-moralistic attitudes of Charles II's reign and the post-1688 period. I intend to investigate these fluctuating portrayals of ascendency and its wider implications for male and female spectatorship. Focusing my research on the period between 1670-1700 allows me to chart these representations within a wider socio-historical perspective. 1670 saw an influx of fresh dramatic voices, including Aphra Behn and William Wycherley, and the beginnings of a more nuanced humour and rounder characterisation; over the decades, this led to a new direction in comedic theatre, which evolved in response to the turbulent historical events of the period up to 1700.
My thesis will explore how Restoration comedy acted as a mirror and counterpoint to societal change increasingly deriding the instability and hypocrisy of sexual morality. I will examine the works of celebrated playwrights Behn, Wycherley and John Vanbrugh alongside lesser-known dramatists such as Thomas D'Urfey. I will demonstrate how these plays challenge the dominant constructions of gender in their characterisation of women: particularly through the subversion of patriarchal control and misogynistic attitudes.
I will develop Jeremy Webster's (2005) scholarship on the interplay between theatrical fiction and the realities of the royal court, and David Roberts' (1989) research on how the licensing of actresses and female spectatorship altered traditionally masculine spaces. My study will further Diana Solomon's (2013) work on the link between the rise of actresses and theatre's popularity, investigating how female characterisation evolved to portray unconscious and subversive sexual empowerment I intend to expand research on Restoration comedy; for example, Annette Kreis-Schnick's (2001) argument that comedies maintained a positive view of masculine sexual superiority, and Pat Gill's (1994) suggestion that comedy was detrimentally altered in both concept and focus by patriarchally-led portrayals.
My research will challenge recent historically inflected scholarship, primarily based on performance history 1660-1685, that the hypersexual comedy of the period merely reflects patriarchal attempts to diminish female agency. Instead, I will explore the hypothesis that the period demonstrates differing representations of matriarchal ascendency in the theatre which evolved to reflect the socio-moralistic attitudes of Charles II's reign and the post-1688 period. I intend to investigate these fluctuating portrayals of ascendency and its wider implications for male and female spectatorship. Focusing my research on the period between 1670-1700 allows me to chart these representations within a wider socio-historical perspective. 1670 saw an influx of fresh dramatic voices, including Aphra Behn and William Wycherley, and the beginnings of a more nuanced humour and rounder characterisation; over the decades, this led to a new direction in comedic theatre, which evolved in response to the turbulent historical events of the period up to 1700.
My thesis will explore how Restoration comedy acted as a mirror and counterpoint to societal change increasingly deriding the instability and hypocrisy of sexual morality. I will examine the works of celebrated playwrights Behn, Wycherley and John Vanbrugh alongside lesser-known dramatists such as Thomas D'Urfey. I will demonstrate how these plays challenge the dominant constructions of gender in their characterisation of women: particularly through the subversion of patriarchal control and misogynistic attitudes.
I will develop Jeremy Webster's (2005) scholarship on the interplay between theatrical fiction and the realities of the royal court, and David Roberts' (1989) research on how the licensing of actresses and female spectatorship altered traditionally masculine spaces. My study will further Diana Solomon's (2013) work on the link between the rise of actresses and theatre's popularity, investigating how female characterisation evolved to portray unconscious and subversive sexual empowerment I intend to expand research on Restoration comedy; for example, Annette Kreis-Schnick's (2001) argument that comedies maintained a positive view of masculine sexual superiority, and Pat Gill's (1994) suggestion that comedy was detrimentally altered in both concept and focus by patriarchally-led portrayals.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Gillian Wright (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Dominic Boden-Tebbutt (Student) |