Staging Motherhood British Women Playwrights, 1956 to the Present [Hardcover]

Focusing on post-1956 British women playwrights, this book questions to what extent transformations in women's lives have impacted on theatre. Contributing to a range of discourses, including gender studies, cultural studies and theatre and performance studies, this timely volume is crucial to our understanding of women's drama in this period.List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction Rethinking Motherhood: Instances of Proto-feminism Irreversible Choice: Female Professional Success Challenging the Bond: Mothers versus Daughters Daughters as Mothers: The Teenager as Potential Parent Alternative Routes: Lesbian Mothering, Adoption Maternal Desire Against the Odds Alternative Dramaturgies: Rewriting the Maternal Body Conclusion Bibliography Index

'As it stands, the study is an invaluable survey of how motherhood has been represented in women's writing for the theatre during the last fifty years. It is an impressive introduction to the topic, and offers a discussion of rare material for those specializing in post-1956 British theatre or theatre by women.' - Carina Bartleet, Theatre Research International

JOZEFINA KOMPORALY is a Lecturer in the School of English and Performance Studies at De Montfort University, UK.