English Literature: The Forms of Tolerance – A Streetcar Named Desire With Dr Michael Meeuwis From University of Warwick

In this webinar for high school students and teachers, Dr. Michael Meeuwis from The University of Warwick will talk about tolerance in Streetcar and push us to think about this not just in terms of plot, but also in terms of the form of the play itself. 

Michael’s talk poses a difficult but urgent question, one not asked enough: why is this text a novel? A play? A poem? What features of the genre does it draw on?

In part one, Michael will explore Streetcar’s language, oral presence, requirements of and demands upon the actors, structure and sequencing, performance, dialogue and ensemble, and will close with a discussion of realism. 

In part two, Michael considers Streetcar’s forms of tolerance and explores tolerance vs. idealism. He will focus on the context of contemporary society, on-stage representation and issues of ‘whiteness’.

Michael is an Associate Professor in English and Comparative Literary Studies at University of Warwick. 

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. This means that sessions will continue irrespective of possible school closures.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Lecturer Profile (Please Click): Dr Michael Meeuwis

Suitable for: Year 12 and 13 students (and equivalent) studying, or with a possible interest in studying, English, English Literature, Creative Writing, Liberal Arts and Humanities. Teachers are also very welcome to join; please feel free to make it a class event.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: No pre-reading is required, although familiarity with A Streetcar Named Desire will help participants get the most out of my presentation. Participants might consider the following questions:

• What makes a play different from a novel, and from a poem?·
• How might a play specifically demonstrate social tolerance, not simply in its plot but in elements of how it is staged?

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Bluejeans and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the university via a microphone and/or typed comments and questions. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below: