Mee's Influences for Big Love
Klaus theweleit
"Above all he was a railroader, wholeheartedly, as he used to say, and then a human being. He was a rather good human being and a good fascist. His beatings, which he gave away abundantly and brutally, as it was usual in his time and with the best of intentions, were the first lessons I received on fascism, a fact I only later fully discovered."--Klaus Theweleit, regarding his father. |
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Born in 1942, Klaus Theweleit was thrust into the middle of World War II and its aftermath in East Prussia. His family and life were obviously influenced and shaped by the experiences of this massive and historical world event. This situational circumstance alone is perhaps the main motivation for his future career as a writer and sociologist. His work, published in both German and English, reflects his interest in the male experience of fascism and its direct influence, therefore, regarding their “norm” of behavior in society.
Theweleit questions within his work how men identify in society, their relationship with one another, and their relationships with women (Rickels). This sociological outlook was perhaps the reasoning for playwright Charles Mee’s mentioning Theweleit as a source of inspiration at the end of his play Big Love. Theweleit expresses the same interests in the male/female dynamic that Mee also questions and explores within his play.
Perhaps Theweleit’s most well-known work was published in 1978, called Male Fantasies. Originally his dissertation, the book was published in two volumes. Within it, he examines the issue of rape during the First World War. This controversial topic is not directly addressed within Big Love, but the idea is represented in the context of women being forced to submit to men without their personal preference (Amidon).
Theweleit paints a picture, within Male Fantasies, of a stereotypical perfect woman: curvy and voluptuous with a headstrong personality that challenges the male presence who ultimately puts her in her place (O’Hara). Mee reverses this circumstance within his play. The women kill the men and become the victors. But Mee also provides an alternative and has his female lead, Lydia, technically submitting to her husband, in this case out of her own free will. These different takes on male/female relationships present themselves in the most extreme cases within Big Love and leave the audience questioning what outcome is preferred.
The bloody murder scene at the end of Big Love perhaps draws directly from Theweleit’s work. Theweleit uses bloody battle imagery of women attacking men to explain the skewed hatred of women that was so prevalent during the Nazi rise to power: “Clothed in an army uniform, her naked breasts and pubis exposed, the booted woman holds her bayonet erect. She stands above a trench filled with fleeing soldiers, who have abandoned their guns in terror” (Rogin). Mee used descriptions like this to create a scene of chaos that is both frightening and beautifully choreographed. Credit was given to Theweleit for several obvious reasons regarding the topics covered, like female murderesses, male dominants, and the finale of the play. Without this deeply unique outlook, Mee’s play may have climaxed quite differently.
Bibliography
Amidon, Kevin. "On Rereading Klaus Theweleit’s Male Fantasies." Sage Journals 11.4 (2009): 488-96. Academic Search Complete. Web.
O'Hara, Daniel T. "Mask Plays: Theory, Cultural Studies, and the Fascist Imagination." Boundary 2 17.2 (1990): 129-154. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Rickels, Laurence A. "The kings and I." Artforum International 33.1 (1994): 78+. Biography in Context. Web.
Rogin, Michael. "Fascist Fantasies." Nation 245.2 (1987): 64-65. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Theweleit questions within his work how men identify in society, their relationship with one another, and their relationships with women (Rickels). This sociological outlook was perhaps the reasoning for playwright Charles Mee’s mentioning Theweleit as a source of inspiration at the end of his play Big Love. Theweleit expresses the same interests in the male/female dynamic that Mee also questions and explores within his play.
Perhaps Theweleit’s most well-known work was published in 1978, called Male Fantasies. Originally his dissertation, the book was published in two volumes. Within it, he examines the issue of rape during the First World War. This controversial topic is not directly addressed within Big Love, but the idea is represented in the context of women being forced to submit to men without their personal preference (Amidon).
Theweleit paints a picture, within Male Fantasies, of a stereotypical perfect woman: curvy and voluptuous with a headstrong personality that challenges the male presence who ultimately puts her in her place (O’Hara). Mee reverses this circumstance within his play. The women kill the men and become the victors. But Mee also provides an alternative and has his female lead, Lydia, technically submitting to her husband, in this case out of her own free will. These different takes on male/female relationships present themselves in the most extreme cases within Big Love and leave the audience questioning what outcome is preferred.
The bloody murder scene at the end of Big Love perhaps draws directly from Theweleit’s work. Theweleit uses bloody battle imagery of women attacking men to explain the skewed hatred of women that was so prevalent during the Nazi rise to power: “Clothed in an army uniform, her naked breasts and pubis exposed, the booted woman holds her bayonet erect. She stands above a trench filled with fleeing soldiers, who have abandoned their guns in terror” (Rogin). Mee used descriptions like this to create a scene of chaos that is both frightening and beautifully choreographed. Credit was given to Theweleit for several obvious reasons regarding the topics covered, like female murderesses, male dominants, and the finale of the play. Without this deeply unique outlook, Mee’s play may have climaxed quite differently.
Bibliography
Amidon, Kevin. "On Rereading Klaus Theweleit’s Male Fantasies." Sage Journals 11.4 (2009): 488-96. Academic Search Complete. Web.
O'Hara, Daniel T. "Mask Plays: Theory, Cultural Studies, and the Fascist Imagination." Boundary 2 17.2 (1990): 129-154. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Rickels, Laurence A. "The kings and I." Artforum International 33.1 (1994): 78+. Biography in Context. Web.
Rogin, Michael. "Fascist Fantasies." Nation 245.2 (1987): 64-65. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Leo Buscaglia
“Love never dies as long as there is someone who remembers.”--Leo Buscaglia
“Love never dies as long as there is someone who remembers.”--Leo Buscaglia
Leo Buscaglia, a.k.a. Dr. Love, was born in 1924 in Los Angeles, California. He was a motivational speaker and author who was interested in how humans connected with one another and what, in fact, was the meaning of life. His interest in this subject matter started after a student of his committed suicide. The student left a note explaining why she felt the need to end her life. The root of this decision narrowed down to her inability to understand what life was about. She was unable to connect to another person and felt utterly and completely alone in the world. Life seemed pointless, just full of suffering and unneeded misery. Therefore, there was no longer a point to struggle toward an equally disappointing and depressing end.
Buscaglia was incredibly moved and saddened by this finding. He was heartbroken to find that there were people who went through their entire lives never experiencing love and companionship. He was especially concerned that a young college student felt so finished with life. Therefore, he decided to make his own contribution to this unique cause that he found incredibly important.
He offered a class at the University of California where he taught. The class was called LOVE101, offered as an afternoon seminar but not for credit. The class explained what love was in its different contexts and why it was important. The rest of the faculty was not convinced that this would be successful in the least. He hoped to have maybe fifteen or twenty people show up. Over three hundred students attended, all hoping to learn what love really was all about.
The class became credit bearing after the immense student turn out. Buscaglia then took his teachings on tour all across the country and started writing novels. He appeared on television and gained notoriety and respect. Some critics called his teachings cliché and obvious, but it was clearly what people needed to hear. The audience had forgotten the basics of caring for the people around them.
At one show, he asked all the parents in the room to raise their hand if they could remember the last time they told their children that they loved them. No one raised their hands and were incredibly shocked with themselves. Buscaglia simply reminded people not to take their own children and loved ones for granted. This is actually a lot harder than anymore realized.
Charles Mee mentions Leo Buscaglia at the end of his play Big Love. Buscaglia’s influence is clear in the play’s exploration of the meaning of love. What is love? How is it different in every relationship? What does it mean? Big Love asks all of these questions and slowly tries to work them out, without perhaps ever finding answers. The one conclusion is that love is important, whatever its representation. Buscaglia understood this, and so does Charles Mee.
Bibliography
Buscaglia, Leo. "Untitled." Relational Child & Youth Care Practice 26.4 (2013): 25. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Buscaglia, Leo. "Two Festivals of Light." Saturday Evening Post 260.9 (1988): 40-110. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Buscaglia was incredibly moved and saddened by this finding. He was heartbroken to find that there were people who went through their entire lives never experiencing love and companionship. He was especially concerned that a young college student felt so finished with life. Therefore, he decided to make his own contribution to this unique cause that he found incredibly important.
He offered a class at the University of California where he taught. The class was called LOVE101, offered as an afternoon seminar but not for credit. The class explained what love was in its different contexts and why it was important. The rest of the faculty was not convinced that this would be successful in the least. He hoped to have maybe fifteen or twenty people show up. Over three hundred students attended, all hoping to learn what love really was all about.
The class became credit bearing after the immense student turn out. Buscaglia then took his teachings on tour all across the country and started writing novels. He appeared on television and gained notoriety and respect. Some critics called his teachings cliché and obvious, but it was clearly what people needed to hear. The audience had forgotten the basics of caring for the people around them.
At one show, he asked all the parents in the room to raise their hand if they could remember the last time they told their children that they loved them. No one raised their hands and were incredibly shocked with themselves. Buscaglia simply reminded people not to take their own children and loved ones for granted. This is actually a lot harder than anymore realized.
Charles Mee mentions Leo Buscaglia at the end of his play Big Love. Buscaglia’s influence is clear in the play’s exploration of the meaning of love. What is love? How is it different in every relationship? What does it mean? Big Love asks all of these questions and slowly tries to work them out, without perhaps ever finding answers. The one conclusion is that love is important, whatever its representation. Buscaglia understood this, and so does Charles Mee.
Bibliography
Buscaglia, Leo. "Untitled." Relational Child & Youth Care Practice 26.4 (2013): 25. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Buscaglia, Leo. "Two Festivals of Light." Saturday Evening Post 260.9 (1988): 40-110. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Gerald G. Jampolsky
“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.”--Gerald G. Jampolsky
“Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.”--Gerald G. Jampolsky
Gerald G. Jampolsky is a psychiatrist and author living in Tiburon, California. There he founded The Center for Attitudinal Healing. This was after having a successful career working at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. Toward the end of this career, he went through a long and difficult divorce. The divorce dragged him into a very deep depression and battle with alcoholism. He was afraid to move forward with his life.
He then was introduced to a collection of writings called A Course in Miracles. This was published by the Foundation for Inner Peace. It was created from a parasensory study of psychology. The goal is for its readers to understand the meanings of love and fear. The difference is that love is natural, and fear is not--it is taught. He feels this course really saved his life. Without it, he may have never come out of his dark period.
He wrote many pieces after his experience with the course, including To Give is to Receive, A MINI COURSE in Healing Relationships and Bringing about Peace of Mind, which was written in 1979. The same year, he wrote Love is Letting Go of Fear. These writings were influenced greatly by his interaction with A Course in Miracles. Through this entire process, he learned to forgive both himself and others by choosing to be happy.
Charles Mee mentions Jampolsky at the end of his play Big Love. It seems that Mee drew on Jampolsky’s strong-held belief in forgiveness for the ending of the play. Starting with the trial scene, Lydia’s character is confronted with her betrayal of her sisters. The question of who is in the right hangs heavy in the air. Bella’s character then delivers a beautiful monologue addressing the issue on everyone’s mind.
She first condemns the women for all killing their husbands. However, she then recognizes her own blame for the unfortunate situation. She protects Lydia from the attack of her sisters by pointing out the rarity and beauty of falling in love. This is where Jampolsky’s work seems the most prevalent. Bella states that without love, there is no happiness and without happiness, what is the point.
Jampolsky wants only to drive this point home within his work. Love is the base for all positive outlooks and feelings. Therefore, Mee has Bella suggest that forgiveness for this tragedy starts with love, to help Lydia and Nikos move forward. It applies to Thyona, for her to want happiness for Lydia, even though they are at odds. It moves Olympia as well, for her to find someone that meets her fantastical standards. Love is the only way for these characters to meet their happy ending, which is unmet at the end of the show. It is the hope that they will strive for when the curtain falls. The audience wants this for the characters too. Although this tragedy is vast, this single goal as the finale is relatable. People yearn for love towards their significant others, their family, and for themselves. Again, it is natural to feel this way. Jampolsky wants his readers to understand that it is more than alright to feel this way. At the end of the play, Mee has his characters contemplating love beautifully. Their goals have changed from those of fear to those of love. This is positive although the end is tragic. It leaves the ending open to continue to grow. Jampolsky wants people to grow like he did. Mee wanted his characters to grow, and so he leaves that open for us. Jampolsky’s influence is much appreciated in Mee’s work, it gives his characters a lot more depth. Big Love definitely benefitted from Jampolsky’s insight. Although not specifically cited, Mee does his work great justice.
Bibliography
Jampolsky, Gerald G. "The Future Is Now." Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 9.2 (1980):
182. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Jan. 2015
He then was introduced to a collection of writings called A Course in Miracles. This was published by the Foundation for Inner Peace. It was created from a parasensory study of psychology. The goal is for its readers to understand the meanings of love and fear. The difference is that love is natural, and fear is not--it is taught. He feels this course really saved his life. Without it, he may have never come out of his dark period.
He wrote many pieces after his experience with the course, including To Give is to Receive, A MINI COURSE in Healing Relationships and Bringing about Peace of Mind, which was written in 1979. The same year, he wrote Love is Letting Go of Fear. These writings were influenced greatly by his interaction with A Course in Miracles. Through this entire process, he learned to forgive both himself and others by choosing to be happy.
Charles Mee mentions Jampolsky at the end of his play Big Love. It seems that Mee drew on Jampolsky’s strong-held belief in forgiveness for the ending of the play. Starting with the trial scene, Lydia’s character is confronted with her betrayal of her sisters. The question of who is in the right hangs heavy in the air. Bella’s character then delivers a beautiful monologue addressing the issue on everyone’s mind.
She first condemns the women for all killing their husbands. However, she then recognizes her own blame for the unfortunate situation. She protects Lydia from the attack of her sisters by pointing out the rarity and beauty of falling in love. This is where Jampolsky’s work seems the most prevalent. Bella states that without love, there is no happiness and without happiness, what is the point.
Jampolsky wants only to drive this point home within his work. Love is the base for all positive outlooks and feelings. Therefore, Mee has Bella suggest that forgiveness for this tragedy starts with love, to help Lydia and Nikos move forward. It applies to Thyona, for her to want happiness for Lydia, even though they are at odds. It moves Olympia as well, for her to find someone that meets her fantastical standards. Love is the only way for these characters to meet their happy ending, which is unmet at the end of the show. It is the hope that they will strive for when the curtain falls. The audience wants this for the characters too. Although this tragedy is vast, this single goal as the finale is relatable. People yearn for love towards their significant others, their family, and for themselves. Again, it is natural to feel this way. Jampolsky wants his readers to understand that it is more than alright to feel this way. At the end of the play, Mee has his characters contemplating love beautifully. Their goals have changed from those of fear to those of love. This is positive although the end is tragic. It leaves the ending open to continue to grow. Jampolsky wants people to grow like he did. Mee wanted his characters to grow, and so he leaves that open for us. Jampolsky’s influence is much appreciated in Mee’s work, it gives his characters a lot more depth. Big Love definitely benefitted from Jampolsky’s insight. Although not specifically cited, Mee does his work great justice.
Bibliography
Jampolsky, Gerald G. "The Future Is Now." Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 9.2 (1980):
182. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Jan. 2015
Valerie Solanas is often known from her fifteen minutes of fame, for her attempt to shoot Andy Warhol in 1968. Beside this, Solanas certainly didn’t leave the legacy she would have intended. Her most notable contribution to the world was the SCUM Manifesto. SCUM stood for the Society for Cutting Up Men, which interestingly enough, counted Solanas as its sole member. Solanas is a radical feminist, whose ideas haven’t been widely accepted by the feminist movement, given her far-reaching views of men. Her beliefs may have come from the fact that she was an outsider most of her life. In her play, Up Your Ass, written in 1996 she dedicated the play completely to herself:
I dedicate this play to ME a continuous source of strength and guidance, and without whose unflinching loyalty, devotion and faith this play would never have been written, additional acknowledgements: Myself--for proofreading, editorial comment, helpful hints, criticism and suggestions and an exquisite job of typing. I--for independent research into men, married women and other degenerates. (Fahs)
This short dedication is a great introduction for her individualized approach to feminism. Her theories of feminism are often disregarded by the feminist movement. . Breanne Fahs in her article, “The Radical Possibilities of Valerie Solanas” explains, “By framing male inferiority as a ‘natural’ rather than socially constructed state, she sidesteps the feminist argument that patriarchy is the problem and instead situates male worthlessness as a function of their inferior Y chromosome.” In her, self-written, self-published manifesto, Solanas seeks to destroy the male sector of the human race. However, throughout her manifesto she contradicts her own ideas.
Solanas shares ideas, some of which Mee directly takes, such as the belief in “an incomplete set of chromosomes. In other words, the male is an incomplete female, a walking abortion, aborted at the gene stage.” She develops her argument further to explain that men aren’t even needed for reproduction, in her opinion, it’s okay if the human race dies out. However, later in her work Solanas declares that some men are okay and tolerable. A lot of her contradictions lie in the fact that her work is not a true manifesto. As the sole member of SCUM, she does desire the murder of all men, but her goals cannot ultimately be fulfilled through this manifesto.
Her attempt at taking Andy Warhol’s life could be considered an attempt at fulfilling her manifesto. Solanas claimed her reason for shooting Andy Warhol was that “he had too much control of [her] life.” In the trial of her case, she was indicted for her mental instability and was instead placed in several psychiatric wards for the next year, starting at Ward Island Hospital, the South Florida State Hospital. The rest of her life continued to lack representation of the ideas she presented in her manifesto. manifesto. While her ideas can seem overwhelming at times, she has moments of truth: “She is, at once, deeply funny and startlingly tragic, blindingly psychotic and soberingly sane. Such contradiction has constructed Solanas within feminist discourse as someone to be remembered and alternatively as someone to be forgotten.” Mee draws on Solanas’s radical beliefs for his radical feminist perspective in Big Love. Particularly in Thyona’s monologue about the uselessness of men, Mee blatantly takes Solanas’ words and makes them Thyona’s: “The male/ the male is a biological accident/ an incomplete female/ the product of a damaged gene/ a half-dead lump of flesh/ trapped in a twilight zone somewhere between apes and humans/ always looking obsessively for some woman” (Mee).
As Thyona continues Lydia and Olympia validate her feelings:
LYDIA: I know how you feel, Thyona.
OLYMPIA: I've felt that way myself sometimes (Mee).
Valerie Solanas provides radical perspectives that in some contexts make sense. Mee is able to collage together a piece that reveals truth and also inaccuracies. While Solanas seeks to spread what she considers her ultimate truth, Mee uses her words to provoke questions about what we consider to be true about gender.
Bibliography
Fahs, Breanne. "The Radical Possibilities of Valerie Solanas." Feminist Studies 34.3 (2008): 591-617. Academic Search Complete. Web.
I dedicate this play to ME a continuous source of strength and guidance, and without whose unflinching loyalty, devotion and faith this play would never have been written, additional acknowledgements: Myself--for proofreading, editorial comment, helpful hints, criticism and suggestions and an exquisite job of typing. I--for independent research into men, married women and other degenerates. (Fahs)
This short dedication is a great introduction for her individualized approach to feminism. Her theories of feminism are often disregarded by the feminist movement. . Breanne Fahs in her article, “The Radical Possibilities of Valerie Solanas” explains, “By framing male inferiority as a ‘natural’ rather than socially constructed state, she sidesteps the feminist argument that patriarchy is the problem and instead situates male worthlessness as a function of their inferior Y chromosome.” In her, self-written, self-published manifesto, Solanas seeks to destroy the male sector of the human race. However, throughout her manifesto she contradicts her own ideas.
Solanas shares ideas, some of which Mee directly takes, such as the belief in “an incomplete set of chromosomes. In other words, the male is an incomplete female, a walking abortion, aborted at the gene stage.” She develops her argument further to explain that men aren’t even needed for reproduction, in her opinion, it’s okay if the human race dies out. However, later in her work Solanas declares that some men are okay and tolerable. A lot of her contradictions lie in the fact that her work is not a true manifesto. As the sole member of SCUM, she does desire the murder of all men, but her goals cannot ultimately be fulfilled through this manifesto.
Her attempt at taking Andy Warhol’s life could be considered an attempt at fulfilling her manifesto. Solanas claimed her reason for shooting Andy Warhol was that “he had too much control of [her] life.” In the trial of her case, she was indicted for her mental instability and was instead placed in several psychiatric wards for the next year, starting at Ward Island Hospital, the South Florida State Hospital. The rest of her life continued to lack representation of the ideas she presented in her manifesto. manifesto. While her ideas can seem overwhelming at times, she has moments of truth: “She is, at once, deeply funny and startlingly tragic, blindingly psychotic and soberingly sane. Such contradiction has constructed Solanas within feminist discourse as someone to be remembered and alternatively as someone to be forgotten.” Mee draws on Solanas’s radical beliefs for his radical feminist perspective in Big Love. Particularly in Thyona’s monologue about the uselessness of men, Mee blatantly takes Solanas’ words and makes them Thyona’s: “The male/ the male is a biological accident/ an incomplete female/ the product of a damaged gene/ a half-dead lump of flesh/ trapped in a twilight zone somewhere between apes and humans/ always looking obsessively for some woman” (Mee).
As Thyona continues Lydia and Olympia validate her feelings:
LYDIA: I know how you feel, Thyona.
OLYMPIA: I've felt that way myself sometimes (Mee).
Valerie Solanas provides radical perspectives that in some contexts make sense. Mee is able to collage together a piece that reveals truth and also inaccuracies. While Solanas seeks to spread what she considers her ultimate truth, Mee uses her words to provoke questions about what we consider to be true about gender.
Bibliography
Fahs, Breanne. "The Radical Possibilities of Valerie Solanas." Feminist Studies 34.3 (2008): 591-617. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Maureen Stanton
Stanton's Publications up to Mee's Writing of Big Love
“Wandering Blood” Fourth Genre, Spring 1999
“Zion" American Literary Review, Fall 1997
“Dreaming of No Grass,” Under the Sun, Summer 199
“Piranha” Grand Tour: Journal of Travel Literature, Fall 1996
“Water” Creative Nonfiction: Emerging Women Writers, May 1995
"Summer of Mowing Lawns," The Sun, October, 1992
Sei Shônagon
Sei Shônagon was born in 966 AD. She served Empress Teishi as one of her court ladies.
Author of The Pillow Book, she wrote of her experiences serving the empress around 1000 AD.
The book is filled with complaints, poetry, lists, observations, and gossip of the court. Her name is mentioned at the end of Charles Mee’s play, Big Love, perhaps because her simple entries, such as her lists, capture images and themes that Mee hoped to portray within his own work.
All of her lists have titles such as “Things that have lost their Power.” The first entry on this list is a stranded boat. Professor of Political Science at St. Louis University, Penny Weiss, describes the meaning of the stranded boat: “The useless boat stranded in a dry creek has not permanently lost its ability to move and carry, but is at the mercy of elements over which it has no control.”
Mee takes this theme and uses it to represent his female characters in Big Love. They are also stuck in a situation in which they have no control. The male characters have power over them, and they are temporarily helpless. They could continue with their lives if they could have some sort of help out of this predicament they find themselves in. Therefore, it may be justifiable to compare the women of Big Love to the stranded boat.
Second on Shônagon’s list is a toppled tree. “The tree felled by winds, lying on its side with its roots in the air, on the other hand, is a permanent loss, and a slow death” (Weiss). Mee perhaps uses this theme to represent the idea of marriage in his play. The women feel that if they can stop the weddings, then they will be safe. Once they are married, however, they may feel there is no getting out at that point. They bypass this possibility by committing murder, but the two main characters decide to follow through with their vows. The characters seem to realize their doom as the play comes to a close. Therefore, marriage is like a toppled tree.
Third on the list is a defeated wrestler. “More public yet is the losing sumo wrestler, walking off, undoubtedly aware of eyes on his back” (Weiss). Mee may have used this theme to categorize his male characters. As men, they are expected to get the job done, like marrying their cousins to whom they are betrothed. When the women flee, they are humiliated in the sense that they could not tame just one woman. The urge to win this battle of the sexes is now even more intense. Therefore, the men of Big Love are like defeated wrestlers.
Perhaps a direct take of Shônagon is from her list “Times When One Should Be on One’s Guard.” The second bullet on this list is “When one travels by Boat.” She then explains a time when she was out to sea and a storm came upon them. “These events lead Sei Shônagon to reflect on some of her own assumptions about people and situations, touching on our tendencies to both underestimate and to overestimate certain people and tasks, and to be oblivious to the very different lives even of those right around us” (Weiss). This is almost exactly what happens with the characters of Big Love. The women arrive and impose upon a family in a different country. They demand help and are angry and hurt when nothing can be done. From this light, perhaps Mee does not present us with a clear protagonist/ antagonist relationship. The women were also in the wrong in their own way. Although written over 1000 years ago, Shônagon has spoken true to matters still experienced now in everyday life and in literature.
Bibliography
Weiss, Penny. "Sei Shônagon and the Politics of Form." Journal of Political Philosophy 16.1 (2008): 26-47. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Author of The Pillow Book, she wrote of her experiences serving the empress around 1000 AD.
The book is filled with complaints, poetry, lists, observations, and gossip of the court. Her name is mentioned at the end of Charles Mee’s play, Big Love, perhaps because her simple entries, such as her lists, capture images and themes that Mee hoped to portray within his own work.
All of her lists have titles such as “Things that have lost their Power.” The first entry on this list is a stranded boat. Professor of Political Science at St. Louis University, Penny Weiss, describes the meaning of the stranded boat: “The useless boat stranded in a dry creek has not permanently lost its ability to move and carry, but is at the mercy of elements over which it has no control.”
Mee takes this theme and uses it to represent his female characters in Big Love. They are also stuck in a situation in which they have no control. The male characters have power over them, and they are temporarily helpless. They could continue with their lives if they could have some sort of help out of this predicament they find themselves in. Therefore, it may be justifiable to compare the women of Big Love to the stranded boat.
Second on Shônagon’s list is a toppled tree. “The tree felled by winds, lying on its side with its roots in the air, on the other hand, is a permanent loss, and a slow death” (Weiss). Mee perhaps uses this theme to represent the idea of marriage in his play. The women feel that if they can stop the weddings, then they will be safe. Once they are married, however, they may feel there is no getting out at that point. They bypass this possibility by committing murder, but the two main characters decide to follow through with their vows. The characters seem to realize their doom as the play comes to a close. Therefore, marriage is like a toppled tree.
Third on the list is a defeated wrestler. “More public yet is the losing sumo wrestler, walking off, undoubtedly aware of eyes on his back” (Weiss). Mee may have used this theme to categorize his male characters. As men, they are expected to get the job done, like marrying their cousins to whom they are betrothed. When the women flee, they are humiliated in the sense that they could not tame just one woman. The urge to win this battle of the sexes is now even more intense. Therefore, the men of Big Love are like defeated wrestlers.
Perhaps a direct take of Shônagon is from her list “Times When One Should Be on One’s Guard.” The second bullet on this list is “When one travels by Boat.” She then explains a time when she was out to sea and a storm came upon them. “These events lead Sei Shônagon to reflect on some of her own assumptions about people and situations, touching on our tendencies to both underestimate and to overestimate certain people and tasks, and to be oblivious to the very different lives even of those right around us” (Weiss). This is almost exactly what happens with the characters of Big Love. The women arrive and impose upon a family in a different country. They demand help and are angry and hurt when nothing can be done. From this light, perhaps Mee does not present us with a clear protagonist/ antagonist relationship. The women were also in the wrong in their own way. Although written over 1000 years ago, Shônagon has spoken true to matters still experienced now in everyday life and in literature.
Bibliography
Weiss, Penny. "Sei Shônagon and the Politics of Form." Journal of Political Philosophy 16.1 (2008): 26-47. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Eleanor Clark
“Rome is where life at every instant is a meeting point of all time past and future." –Eleanor Clark
Eleanor Clark was born in 1913 in Los Angeles, California. She was a writer best known for her novel Rome and the Villa. This is perhaps the work that was the initial draw for playwright Charles Mee. He mentions her as a source of inspiration at the end of his play Big Love, which is set, like Clark’s novel, in Italy. Clark explores in her writing her love for this beautiful country. Mee clearly feels her passion through her descriptions of landscapes and backdrops. So much so, that he wants this imagery as the setting for his characters. This was a specific choice because Big Love is in fact an adaptation of The Suppliant Women by Aeschylus. In the original script, the women are by the city of Argos, Greece. Mee could have chosen to keep the setting in Greece, but he wanted Italy for its unique attributes.
Rome and a Villa was originally composed as a collection of essays Clark wrote while she was in Italy on the Guggenheim Fellowship. She explains in her novel Rome’s unique passage of time. A city that is centuries old has so much history and depth that is all present at the exact same time. The city of Rome is the same place now as it was when the city held gladiator battles, was ruled by Julius Caesar, and birthed the Renaissance.
One can see all of these historical attributions when experiencing the city. The remnants of each period are still there, layered atop one another. Rome could not have the burning of Christians without the building of the aqueducts, or the Roman Catholic Church without Benito Mussolini. Everything goes hand in hand. Clark understood this concept and described the importance beautifully.
Mee also understands this concept and perhaps for this reason he chose Italy as the setting for his play. He took a past piece and presented it in a new light but still with the presence of what occurred before. He has made Big Love timeless because Italy is timeless. This connection to the settings roots envelopes a sense of belonging that this piece deserves. Clark had discovered Italy’s importance in her life, and Mee found its importance through her.
Bibliography
Clunas, Alexander, and Sinclair Clunas. "Books and Issues." Raritan 15.4 (1996): 119. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Smith, Emily Esfahani. "Eleanor Clark's Rome." New Criterion 31.9 (2013): 29-33. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Rome and a Villa was originally composed as a collection of essays Clark wrote while she was in Italy on the Guggenheim Fellowship. She explains in her novel Rome’s unique passage of time. A city that is centuries old has so much history and depth that is all present at the exact same time. The city of Rome is the same place now as it was when the city held gladiator battles, was ruled by Julius Caesar, and birthed the Renaissance.
One can see all of these historical attributions when experiencing the city. The remnants of each period are still there, layered atop one another. Rome could not have the burning of Christians without the building of the aqueducts, or the Roman Catholic Church without Benito Mussolini. Everything goes hand in hand. Clark understood this concept and described the importance beautifully.
Mee also understands this concept and perhaps for this reason he chose Italy as the setting for his play. He took a past piece and presented it in a new light but still with the presence of what occurred before. He has made Big Love timeless because Italy is timeless. This connection to the settings roots envelopes a sense of belonging that this piece deserves. Clark had discovered Italy’s importance in her life, and Mee found its importance through her.
Bibliography
Clunas, Alexander, and Sinclair Clunas. "Books and Issues." Raritan 15.4 (1996): 119. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Smith, Emily Esfahani. "Eleanor Clark's Rome." New Criterion 31.9 (2013): 29-33. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
Barbara Grizzuti Harrison was born in 1934 in New York City. Her family was Italian through and through, with her parents being first generation US citizens. All her life, her mother had suffered from mental illness. This unfortunate circumstance led to one of the most dramatic changes in her life. One day her father purchased a copy of Watchtower magazine, a company run by the religious organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Bringing it home, her mother read and became enthralled with the material. She requested a meeting with a representative from the church and afterwards was fully committed to her new found cause. When her husband was not convinced, she left him, taking with her Barbara and her younger brother. Her father did nothing to stop them and thus, she was involved with the church for the next 13 years.
The Watchtower organization had residences for its members. It is here Harrison lived, cleaning all the rooms within the mansion every day. The role of women within this religion was strictly traditional and old-fashioned. Women were meant to cook, clean, have children, and serve their husbands. Although she was introduced to this lifestyle at still a very young age, Harrison did not agree with the practices. As a young woman, she was very aware of the unfair treatment of her sex.
Being raised in this setting, Harrison was taught some very structured lessons, among them the belief that Christmas was actually evil. The decorating of Christmas trees was originally taken from a pagan tradition. Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Satan actually lurks through the entire celebration of the Christmas holiday. Harrison grew up having to pretend that she agreed with what was expected of her.
Through all of this, the biggest lesson Harrison learned was how to lie. This oppression taught her to be dishonest. Once she matured, she decided to become a writer because she could no longer not tell the truth. Her mother seemed to thrive in this lifestyle, but she did not. Through her writing, Harrison was able to process the difficulties her childhood had entailed. She was able to confront this religion with a feminist outlook that speaks out for all women trapped in a religion, organization, or situation that is male-dominated and controlled.
Charles Mee, writer of the play Big Love, found inspiration through the life and writings of Barbara Grizzuti Harrison. Big Love may not directly draw from one piece of her writing, but rather from her overall repertoire. Clearly a feminist play, Big Love strives to capture the feelings of all oppressed women, representing them in different lights through the characters of Lydia, Thyona, and Olympia. Where Harrison was oppressed through religion, the women of Big Love are oppressed through marriage. Mee captures the brutality, the confusion, and the love that is entwined in an oppressive situation. Harrison’s work is evident and appreciated through the work of Mee and the feminist movement.
Bibliography
Baker, John F. "Barbara Grizzuti Harrison: despite her difficult childhood, this writer's work and life convey an infectious joie de vivre." Publishers Weekly 27 July 1992: 44+. Biography in Context. Web.
Barbara, G. H. (1999, Dec 31). “Relics of an Italian Village Called New York.” New York Times (1923-Current File)
Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. "Lies, Truth And Ideologues." Nation 233.10 (1981): 293-296. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Laurino, Maria. "Wayward Witness." Nation 262.25 (1996): 33-34. Academic Search Complete. Web.
The New York Times Book Review. 106.5 (Feb. 4, 2001): Arts and Entertainment: p18. From Literature Resource Center.
Bringing it home, her mother read and became enthralled with the material. She requested a meeting with a representative from the church and afterwards was fully committed to her new found cause. When her husband was not convinced, she left him, taking with her Barbara and her younger brother. Her father did nothing to stop them and thus, she was involved with the church for the next 13 years.
The Watchtower organization had residences for its members. It is here Harrison lived, cleaning all the rooms within the mansion every day. The role of women within this religion was strictly traditional and old-fashioned. Women were meant to cook, clean, have children, and serve their husbands. Although she was introduced to this lifestyle at still a very young age, Harrison did not agree with the practices. As a young woman, she was very aware of the unfair treatment of her sex.
Being raised in this setting, Harrison was taught some very structured lessons, among them the belief that Christmas was actually evil. The decorating of Christmas trees was originally taken from a pagan tradition. Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Satan actually lurks through the entire celebration of the Christmas holiday. Harrison grew up having to pretend that she agreed with what was expected of her.
Through all of this, the biggest lesson Harrison learned was how to lie. This oppression taught her to be dishonest. Once she matured, she decided to become a writer because she could no longer not tell the truth. Her mother seemed to thrive in this lifestyle, but she did not. Through her writing, Harrison was able to process the difficulties her childhood had entailed. She was able to confront this religion with a feminist outlook that speaks out for all women trapped in a religion, organization, or situation that is male-dominated and controlled.
Charles Mee, writer of the play Big Love, found inspiration through the life and writings of Barbara Grizzuti Harrison. Big Love may not directly draw from one piece of her writing, but rather from her overall repertoire. Clearly a feminist play, Big Love strives to capture the feelings of all oppressed women, representing them in different lights through the characters of Lydia, Thyona, and Olympia. Where Harrison was oppressed through religion, the women of Big Love are oppressed through marriage. Mee captures the brutality, the confusion, and the love that is entwined in an oppressive situation. Harrison’s work is evident and appreciated through the work of Mee and the feminist movement.
Bibliography
Baker, John F. "Barbara Grizzuti Harrison: despite her difficult childhood, this writer's work and life convey an infectious joie de vivre." Publishers Weekly 27 July 1992: 44+. Biography in Context. Web.
Barbara, G. H. (1999, Dec 31). “Relics of an Italian Village Called New York.” New York Times (1923-Current File)
Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. "Lies, Truth And Ideologues." Nation 233.10 (1981): 293-296. Academic Search Complete. Web.
Laurino, Maria. "Wayward Witness." Nation 262.25 (1996): 33-34. Academic Search Complete. Web.
The New York Times Book Review. 106.5 (Feb. 4, 2001): Arts and Entertainment: p18. From Literature Resource Center.
Laurie Williams
Charles Mee openly admits that he “steals” work from others to create his own, but he cites those that inspire him in each of his plays. In some there is the work of philosophers, travel writers, feminist theorists, or even Soap Opera Digest correspondents, but several of his plays cite a unique source: Laurie Williams. The actress, with whom Mee was in a relationship for five years, inspired a great deal of his work, including Big Love. Big Love is a part of a series of plays, often called the love plays, in which the trajectory of their relationship is evident. While the love plays are not connected in plot, they are connected in theme.
Mee explains that Williams was his “first love” and his “true love,” which became the titles for his other Love Plays: “I think she was my first love in life, in spite of my advanced age when I fell in love with her, which was 57. She was certainly my true love” (Muhammad). Their love deeply affected Mee; as his relationship changed, the art he created also changed. His plays from before their relationship are much more historical in nature and not so focused on love as the plays that were created during or as a result of their relationship. In an interview while the two were still dating, Mee explains how deeply intertwined his plays and his life with Williams became: “My whole life is in my plays now. I pour everything into my plays. Laurie's in the plays. Her dreams are in the plays. I've stolen stuff from her. I feel she signed a contract four years and eight days ago” (McCable). Their lives became thoroughly intertwined.
As in other areas of his life, Mee believes we are fully interwoven with our experiences and our culture. This remained true in his relationship with Williams. When asked if he could distinguish between personal life and art by Sarah Johnson at HowlRound, he simply stated, “Well, I do think it’s possible to distinguish between the two, but obviously they invade each other all the time” (Johnson). While it may be possible to distinguish our lives and our art, Mee accepts the intermingling of the two.
Big Love is the final of the three “Love Plays.” Mee notes that these plays reveal a great deal about his and Williams’s relationship and its sudden ending:
So all these thoughts, relationships and strange and beautiful and painful things are from the life we had together. It happened suddenly, in a millisecond. And it ended just as suddenly about six months ago. I think the plays have in them the reasons we found each other and the reasons we broke apart. (Muhammad)
While Big Love does end in a marriage, it also ends in the murder of forty-nine men, which isn’t exactly a happy ending. Mee demonstrates that love might still prevail, even during the tragic circumstances that can occur simultaneously with love.. This seems to define his relationship with Laurie Williams as well.
Bibliography
Muhammad, Ozier. "Falling In, Falling Out: Love's Cycle Of Rebirth." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Sept. 2001. Web.
Johnson, Sarah. "Sometimes Mount Vesuvius Erupts: An Interview with Chuck Mee." HowlRound. Emerson College, 4 May 2012. Web.
McCable, Bruce. "Charles Mee Comes Around to 'Full Circle.'" The Boston Globe 13 Feb 2000: N3. Web.
Mee explains that Williams was his “first love” and his “true love,” which became the titles for his other Love Plays: “I think she was my first love in life, in spite of my advanced age when I fell in love with her, which was 57. She was certainly my true love” (Muhammad). Their love deeply affected Mee; as his relationship changed, the art he created also changed. His plays from before their relationship are much more historical in nature and not so focused on love as the plays that were created during or as a result of their relationship. In an interview while the two were still dating, Mee explains how deeply intertwined his plays and his life with Williams became: “My whole life is in my plays now. I pour everything into my plays. Laurie's in the plays. Her dreams are in the plays. I've stolen stuff from her. I feel she signed a contract four years and eight days ago” (McCable). Their lives became thoroughly intertwined.
As in other areas of his life, Mee believes we are fully interwoven with our experiences and our culture. This remained true in his relationship with Williams. When asked if he could distinguish between personal life and art by Sarah Johnson at HowlRound, he simply stated, “Well, I do think it’s possible to distinguish between the two, but obviously they invade each other all the time” (Johnson). While it may be possible to distinguish our lives and our art, Mee accepts the intermingling of the two.
Big Love is the final of the three “Love Plays.” Mee notes that these plays reveal a great deal about his and Williams’s relationship and its sudden ending:
So all these thoughts, relationships and strange and beautiful and painful things are from the life we had together. It happened suddenly, in a millisecond. And it ended just as suddenly about six months ago. I think the plays have in them the reasons we found each other and the reasons we broke apart. (Muhammad)
While Big Love does end in a marriage, it also ends in the murder of forty-nine men, which isn’t exactly a happy ending. Mee demonstrates that love might still prevail, even during the tragic circumstances that can occur simultaneously with love.. This seems to define his relationship with Laurie Williams as well.
Bibliography
Muhammad, Ozier. "Falling In, Falling Out: Love's Cycle Of Rebirth." The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 Sept. 2001. Web.
Johnson, Sarah. "Sometimes Mount Vesuvius Erupts: An Interview with Chuck Mee." HowlRound. Emerson College, 4 May 2012. Web.
McCable, Bruce. "Charles Mee Comes Around to 'Full Circle.'" The Boston Globe 13 Feb 2000: N3. Web.