Marsha Norman Critical Essay | Critical Essay by Richard Wattenberg

Critical Essay by Richard Wattenberg

SOURCE: Wattenberg, Richard. “Feminizing the Frontier Myth: Marsha Norman's The Holdup.” Modern Drama 33, no. 4 (December 1990): 507-17.

In the following essay, Wattenberg asserts that, through Norman's reimagining of traditional American initiation rites, The Holdup offers a new feminist perspective on the myth of the American frontier.

Mainstream theatre in the United States has undergone a number of transformations in the past decade. Not the least is the acceptance of woman to the playwriting elite. Plays by Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, Tina Howe, and Wendy Wasserstein have all had successful Broadway runs, and Henley, Norman, and Wasserstein have been honored with Pulitzer Prizes. These successes suggest the opening of the “establishment” to new and diverse voices. While some feminist critics view this “opening up” as a co-optation,¹ it may indicate a shift in mainstream cultural attitudes. Whether or not such a shift has actually occurred is debatable; nevertheless, these...
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