Domination, dependence, denial and despair: The father-daughter relationship in dramas by Grillparzer, Hebbel and Hauptmann
Abstract
This dissertation examines the father-daughter relationships in four German plays with regard to the psychological development of the child. The first chapter summarizes psychological and sociological studies and describes the most significant aspects of the father's role in child development, including patriarchy, representation of societal ethics in the family, concern with reputation, and the child's education. The position of the daughter within the father-daughter relationship is also analyzed, centering on objectification, possible denial of the father's norms, and her individuation. The second chapter briefly analyzes the father-daughter relationships in Lessing's Mis Sara Sampson, and Emilia Galotti, H. L. Wagner's Die Kindermorderin and Schiller's Kabale und Liebe as precursors to the nineteenth-century works. This chapter concludes that various modes of denial exist and that the domination of each daughter by the father and her dependence lead to her despair. The four principal chapters treat Franz Grillparzer's Das goldene Vlies and Des Meeres und der Liebe Wellen, Friedrich Hebbel's Maria Magdalene and Gerhart Hauptmann's Rose Bernd, concentrating on the father-daughter relationships depicted in the plays, but also giving a general interpretation of each work. The texts and secondary literature are discussed in detail to illuminate the forces motivating the daughter's despair. These factors include each father's objectification of the daughter, his honor fixation, the daughter's denial, individuation, and final catastrophe. Critical aspects of each author's dramatic theory are also examined. The concluding chapter compares themes common to all the plays and summarizes the most significant aspects found in each work, including objectification and rejection of the daughter by the father, her isolation, the extent of her denial and the degree of each daughter's individuation. The dissertation concludes that each play demonstrates to today's reader the necessity for change in the treatment of individuals at turning points in life. While the father-daughter relationships are often mentioned in critical analyses of these plays, this study is the first to examine them closely and provide an extensive textual discussion that demonstrates how the authors express their thoughts through the words their characters speak.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Keck, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Germanic literature|Theater
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