Being an actress usually requires understanding the human condition. Women, like men, are full of weakness. In certain roles, a women would be required to be naked are partial naked, depict promiscuity, or display other 'un-ladylike' behaviors. The women in this field were not portraying their chaste and personal control and were considered to be in violation of the norms.
Public readers were able to share in a similar way to the actress. They could comment through their performances on the human condition and they could share histories. They could, however, refrain from undesirable behaviors. Being a reader provided that creative outlet and important chronicle without violating the norms of the society.
I have answered the same question but never thought about the aspect of women being naked as a part of their act. Interesting way of looking at the possible reasons behind why society was against women performers. Do you think we still have the same issue? Do we still get shocked or irritated by women nudity on stage?
ReplyDeleteFirst -- I luuuuv the graphic for your page. Lovely!!
ReplyDeleteEssay is a little bare bones. Flesh out your points with examples both from the Victorians we read about and from contemporary examples. How does this attitude towards women still manifest itself?
I question what you mean about to be an actress one must understand the human condition. Such a term requires in itself so much explanation, definition, as to what you yourself view the human condition as being. I agree in that your points definitely can be fleshed out with more examples to add emphasis. Even from the onset of the first paragraph, how did the roles expected of women depict chaste behavior and personal control?
ReplyDeleteLovely essay Jill. Although, I am not sure I completely agree that public readers could refrain from undesirable behaviors. Fist the phrase undesirable behaviors needs a little more clarification and second as a public reader one would engage in oral interpretation. That being said oral interpretation requires a person to read performatively and thus creates the possibility for certain performative behaviors to emerge whether flattering or undesirable. As a performer/public reader spontaneous actions arise, we can not always control the body nor its behaviors. How can we say as a public reader undesirable behaviors won't occur?
ReplyDeleteGreat essay Jill, though I would like to see you perhaps delve into how actresses are viewed today. Are women performers still expected to display feminine or "lady like" behaviors when acting? Do actresses that perform their own gender achieve greater success? I'm not sure whether society has released their constraints on the ways in which gender can be performed. We continue to push for these feminine behaviors. For instance, all of the romance movies establish this notion that you have to act "ladylike" in order to find a man.
ReplyDeleteI too was not aware that female actresses of this time were naked on stage. I was under the impression that the profession was seen as negative for a female because she was seen as being flashy and presenting herself for a wide audience when she should have been saving herself for an individual man. When I think of a female public reader, I imagine someone a seemingly nurturing, motherly like, woman sitting at a table and reading to an audience. I imagine he looking like a nanny and therefore I believe it this role would reify the expected role for a female.
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