Wilson, Paul Wayne
(2014)
Collective Traumatic Memory and Its Theatrical Models: Case Studies in Elie Wiesel and Aeschylus.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This dissertation synthesizes recent considerations that have emerged from theories of psychological trauma (namely, Post-Traumatic Stress) and cultural trauma (via sociologists Jeffrey Alexander, Neil Smelser, and Ron Eyerman), into what is called “collective trauma.” Further theoretical frameworks of socially distributed memory and collective memory are then employed to create a more robust understanding of the hybrid nature of both normative and traumatic memory. Using anthropologist Clifford Geertz's “models of” and “models for,” as well as linguist George Lakoff's and philosopher Mark Johnson's similarly-constructed notions of “metaphor” and “event,” the collective trauma concept is then brought to bear on three theatre events (plays in performance) – Elie Wiesel's two English language plays, 1973's Zalmen (or, The Madness of God), 1983's The Trial of God, and Aeschylus' 458 BC production of The Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides). Chapter One delineates the theoretical framework described above. Chapter Two combines
Zalmen and The Trial of God into a single case study of texts and performances, in which it is determined
that the former play is a failed model of individual and collective traumatic memory, while the latter is a
successful model of those. This chapter focuses on the 1973 production at the Arena Theatre in Washington, DC, as well as its brief Broadway run at the Lyceum in 1974.Chapter Three employs the additional tools of physical and linguistic evidence, the etymology of the word trauma in Greek literature, and classicist Pat Easterling's process of revealing reception through evidence interpolation. Easterling's process and the theoretical considerations of Chapter One construct a picture of Athens' Great Dionysia in 458 BC. In so doing, Chapter Three reveals The Oresteia as a strong model of and for individual, collective, and cultural traumas. The brief conclusion uses collective memory as a litmus test for reflexivity and the agency of victims as trauma moves outward, from the collective into the cultural realm.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Wilson, Paul Wayne | pww1@pitt.edu | PWW1 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
30 May 2014 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
28 January 2014 |
| Approval Date: |
30 May 2014 |
| Submission Date: |
19 May 2014 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
211 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Theater Arts |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
theatre, theater, trauma, collective trauma, cultural trauma, ptsd, wiesel, aeschylus, zalmen, trial of god, oresteia, agamemnon, libation bearers, eumenides |
| Date Deposited: |
30 May 2014 15:33 |
| Last Modified: |
19 Jul 2024 18:47 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/21641 |
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