Title:
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Aspects of distorted sexual attitudes in German expressionist drama: with particular reference to Wedekind, Kokoschka and Kaiser
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This thesis attempts to demonstrate that Wedekind,
Kokoschka and Kaiser display a variety of distorted sexual
attitudes in their plays, sometimes consciously (for example,
when Kaiser portrays incest) but more often unconsciously,
by a tenacious adherence to conventional Wilhelmine attitudes
towards sexuality. Conventionality as such does not, of
course, constitute in itself a distorted sexual attitude.
However, certain Wilhelmine assumptions can, from a present-
day point of view, legitimately be seen as reflecting a
distorted sexual attitude, most notably the notion that in
sexual matters the male was essentially aggressive and the
female essentially passive, which led in its turn to further
distortions: the gearing of girls' upbringing to male
expectations, the denial of female sexuality and the condonation
of sexual violence. The mainstream of medical opinion
encouraged the view that a respectable lady was sexless
and a sexually eager woman was sick. Although this view
did not go completely unchallenged, it certainly encouraged
the belief that women of a certain type enjoyed rough treatment.
It will be shown that Wedekind shared this tendency
to condone sexual violence towards women.
At first sight, Wedekind, Kokoschka and Kaiser seem to
challenge conventional views by choosing sexually dynamic
women as their protagonists. This, in itself, was an
achievement, as it brought sexuality to the foreground in
German Expressionist drama and opened up the subject for
further discussion. However, the actual fate of these
female protagonists is usually such that their sexuality is
completely negated, thus reinforcing rather than challenging
the Wilhelmine tendency to deny women's sexuality. Evidence
is also presented that women often accepted male assumptions
concerning their sexuality, which stressed their biological
destiny as mothers and insisted on a suppression of sexual
desire. This acceptance makes many of the distortions
found in the plays easier to understand. If women themselves
misconstrued their own sexual impulses, male authors can more easily
be forgiven for not fully understanding female sexuality.
The satirical tone adopted by Wedekind and Kaiser can
not be criticised as such: however, it will be criticised
when the satire descends to the level of a sexist joke,
thus reinforcing the strong undercurrent of misogyny,
derived from Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, which prevailed
during the period under discussion.
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