To Preserve or Progress? This is the Dramatic Question: A Study of the Correlation between Historical Memory and Socioeconomic Progression in August Wilsons Twentieth Century Cycle

Identifier

5

Author

Elisabeth Anna Benson

Date

2013

Document Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

English

Concentration

Literature

Committee Member

Ladrica Menson-Furr

Committee Member

Lawrence Blackwell

Abstract

To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction: or the forces of two bodies on each other are always equal and are directed in opposite directions. The Century Cycle of plays by August Wilson represents a unique facet of American drama in that it lends a voice and narrative to the lives and struggles of black Americans in the Twentieth Century. Breaking apart the socioeconomic history found in the plays and expanding on the continuous give and take, represented by the characters that embody two major opposing forces: historical memory and change, illustrated by Newton's Third Law of Motion, this study develops these opposing ideals and creates an aura of explorative conversations and arguments within the constructs of the plays which allows for a continual development of the black American community.

Comments

Undergraduate Honor's Thesis

Library Comment

Honors thesis originally submitted to the Local University of Memphis Honor’s Thesis Repository.

Recommended Citation

Benson, Elisabeth Anna, "To Preserve or Progress? This is the Dramatic Question: A Study of the Correlation between Historical Memory and Socioeconomic Progression in August Wilsons Twentieth Century Cycle" (2013). Honors Theses. 4.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/honors_theses/4