It was then that began our extensive travels all over the states. To any other type of tourist accommodation I soon grew to prefer the Functional Motel - clean, neat, safe nooks, ideal places for sleep, argument, reconciliation, insatiable, illicit love. (Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita) In her very recent dissertation Kerstin Schmidt describes van Itallie’s plays as being among the “most innovative theatrical forms to have been developed in the second half of the 20th century” (87). Motel, one of his most aggressive plays, has not lost its significance more than 40 years after its first performance. As in the 1960s, its mixture of violence, political satire and theatrical innovation is still of relevance to present-day audiences. A similar combination of postmodern violence, commodity-fetishism and crisis of identity has for example been adopted by the British “inyerface-theatre” of the 1990s 1 . As far as literary criticism is concerned, there have been publications by three significant authors on Jean-Claude van Itallie’s Motel. The most profound are Gene A. Plunka’s writings in which he works out the influence of Jean Artaud’s The Theater and its Double on van Itallie’s plays and especially on Motel. Another informative contribution have been Herbert Grabes’ two essays on the possibilities of social critique and on myth and myth destruction in Motel. Only lately, Kerstin Schmidt, in her dissertation has contributed to a new critical discussion of the America Hurrah-trilogy in the context of postmodern theory. All three authors interpret the two dolls’ destructive behavior as impersonations of America’s latent aggression and as advent of a “posthumanist culture” (Schmidt, 125) the 1960s. While Plunka praises Motel for its sharp-wittedness, Grabes questions the ability of the play, to criticize existing social conditions. Especially does he condemn the play for its “Spenglerian Determinism”. Kerstin Schmidt’s approach on the other hand opens new aspects on “Motel” with her focus on the representation of the postmodern sense of identity in the play. Altogether however, the authors agree that “Man doll” and “Woman doll” symbolize the self-destructive forces within American society. Hence, they see the two dolls not so much as active agents but as passive victims of postmodern American society. From this perspective, the play must be read as a dark satire on American society, which hardly leaves any hope for social change. [...]
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Motel in the Context of the America Hurrah trilogy
3 The 1960s between consumer culture and counter culture
4 The motel as icon of American consumer culture
5 Motel and postmodernity
6 Destruction as de-construction
7 Conclusion
8 Works Cited
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This essay explores Jean-Claude van Itallie's play Motel as a powerful deconstruction of 1960s American consumer culture. By challenging traditional interpretations that view the play's violence as purely senseless, the author argues that the destruction enacted by the characters serves as a form of protest against the era's pervasive commodification, standardized social roles, and political hypocrisy.
- The relationship between Motel and the broader America Hurrah trilogy.
- The socio-political climate of the 1960s, balancing consumer prosperity with counter-cultural resistance.
- The motel as an architectural and cultural icon representing postwar consumerism.
- The application of postmodern theories, such as "pastiche" and "schizophrenia," to analyze the play's stylistic devices.
- The interpretation of the play's violent climax as a meaningful act of iconoclasm.
Excerpt from the Book
Destruction as de-construction
In this last chapter I will argue that the two dolls’ orgy of destruction is not a purposeless excess of a society run mad, as Grabes or Schmidt have argued, but a direct protest against everything that the Motel-Keeper and her room stand for. In taking apart the motel room and its keeper bit by bit, Man doll and Woman doll deconstruct the promises of consumer society until nothing is left.
In a 1992 Interview van Itallie answered the following on the question, whether he wrote his plays as social statements about contemporary society: [...] Plays are like dreams of society. Dreams are knowledge which needs to be brought into consciousness, exorcised. I think important political knowledge is personal. If something is personal to a writer, it is usually personal to members of an audience. It’s curious: if you set out to write something political which will be generally acceptable, it’s usually not interesting; but if you write something uniquely personal (not self-indulgent), it’s usually meaningful to others and political [...] Political and personal at a deep level are not separable. (Bryer 253)
His statement makes clear that van Itallie sees his plays very well as conveying political messages. But also following from this is that Motel represents the author’s very personal view of American society. Hence, the destruction taking place in Motel is a metaphorical destruction provoking either approval or aversion in the audience.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of existing literary criticism on Motel and introduces the author's central thesis, which views the play's violence as a deliberate deconstruction of consumer culture.
2 Motel in the Context of the America Hurrah trilogy: This section positions Motel as the final, climactic part of the America Hurrah trilogy, analyzing how it continues the themes of miscommunication and media influence established in Interview and TV.
3 The 1960s between consumer culture and counter culture: The chapter examines the historical background of the 1960s, contrasting the stability of the postwar suburban dream with the burgeoning Civil Rights movement and counter-culture protests.
4 The motel as icon of American consumer culture: This analysis investigates the motel as a physical and cultural symbol of 1960s affluence, commodification, and the "other-directed" lifestyle promoted by the era's advertising.
5 Motel and postmodernity: Here, the author applies postmodern concepts, including Jameson’s theories on the loss of stable meaning and the "commodity-sign," to interpret the play's fragmented, satirical structure.
6 Destruction as de-construction: This chapter argues that the play's climactic violence is a motivated, symbolic act of iconoclasm intended to challenge American social hypocrisy and rigid cultural norms.
7 Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the essay's findings, rejecting purely fatalistic interpretations of the play and asserting that Motel serves as a visionary critique of 1960s society.
8 Works Cited: This section lists the academic sources and primary texts utilized in the analysis.
Keywords
Jean-Claude van Itallie, Motel, America Hurrah, Consumer Culture, Postmodernism, 1960s, Counter Culture, Deconstruction, Iconoclasm, Theater of Cruelty, Commodity-sign, American Society, Satire, Postwar Architecture, Protest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
The work focuses on analyzing Jean-Claude van Itallie’s play Motel, examining how it satirizes and deconstructs 1960s American consumer culture through violence and performance.
What are the central thematic fields explored?
The essay explores themes of consumerism, media influence, the breakdown of social communication, the history of the 1960s, and postmodernist literary theory.
What is the core research question?
The research seeks to determine whether the violence in Motel is merely a display of senseless aggression or a targeted, meaningful form of protest against the values of a commercialized society.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author employs a literary and cultural studies approach, utilizing historical context, sociological frameworks, and postmodern theory to analyze the play's dramatic structure and symbolism.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The body covers the trilogy's structure, the political and social landscape of the 1960s, the evolution of the motel as a cultural icon, and a deep-dive analysis of the play's stylistic devices and final violent acts.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Motel, postmodernism, consumer culture, 1960s America, deconstruction, and iconoclasm.
How does the author interpret the character of the Motel-Keeper?
The author interprets the Motel-Keeper as a personification of the consumer society itself, whose fragmented, "jabbering" monologue reflects the disconnected imagery of modern advertising.
What is the significance of the play's ending?
The destruction at the end of the play is interpreted not as an inevitable disaster, but as a symbolic tearing down of the fake, comfortable façade of the American Dream, suggesting a path toward radical self-liberation.
How does the play relate to the concept of the "Theater of Cruelty"?
The play uses ritualistic, aggressive, and sensory-overloading elements to shock the audience, aiming to break through their complacency and force a confrontation with repressed societal drives.
- Quote paper
- Peter Brüstle (Author), 2005, Man Doll and Woman Doll Strike Back - The De-construction of 1960s American Consumer Culture in Jean-Claude von Itallie´s "Motel", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/70479
