Graduate Research Papers

Availability

Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Abstract

I will examine McNally's 1991 play "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" and explore his theatrical representations of the male body onstage, primarily from the point of view of the heterosexual male characters, John and Sam, and their homosocial relationship with each other, and how they relate to the invisible presence of the gay men around them. While "Love! Valour! Compassion!" displays frontal nudity, "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" uses what I will call "narrative nudity," verbally conjuring up the physicality of the male body through images designed by McNally's vivid and colorful language and dialogue. This paper will be in two parts: the first part will introduce the history, theory, and homosocial connotations of nudity and how they relate to the reality of dramatic literature. The second part will be the analysis of the narrative nudity in tandem with the concept of a "homosocial gaze" in the text of "Lips Together, Teeth Apart."

Year of Submission

2001

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Theatre

First Advisor

Cynthia Goatley

Comments

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Date Original

7-27-2001

Object Description

1 PDF file (40 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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