Revision Cards - A Streetcar Named Desire: A Level, Genre, structure and language

Revise the key points

The play is, loosely speaking, a tragedy, with Blanche as its heroine, although she does not actually die at the end.
Part of what makes the play a tragedy is the sense of its action unfolding in a way that comes to seem inevitable.
The play could be said to be in the genre of Southern Gothic, focusing on death, violence, madness and decay.
In some ways the play is a melodrama, because of its exaggerated passions and sensational plot and action.

Genre, structure and language

A Streetcar Named Desire: A Level

The play observes the ‘unity of space’ in that all the action takes place in the Kowalski apartment.
The ‘inciting incident’ that ‘triggers’ the action of the play could be seen as Blanche being fired from her job, or as her husband’s suicide.
The play’s ‘crisis’ point could be seen as the moment in Scene Eight when Stanley gives Blanche the bus ticket.
The ‘climax’ of the play is the fight between Stanley and Blanche, ending in the rape – while Stella is giving birth.

Genre, structure and language

A Streetcar Named Desire: A Level

Stanley uses imagery destructively, as in ‘Take a look at yourself in that worn-out Mardi Gras outfit, rented for fifty cents from some rag-picker!’ (Scene Ten, p. 94).
Stanley uses simple imagery, ironically and critically: ‘What do you two think you are? A pair of queens?’ (Scene Eight, p. 77).
Blanche’s imagery often idealises: ‘I hope that his eyes are going to be like candles, like two blue candles lighted in a white cake!’ (Scene Eight, p. 79).
Blanche’s imagery can be darkly gothic: ‘The Tarantula Arms! ... Yes, a big spider! That’s where I brought my victims’ (Scene Nine, p. 87).

Genre, structure and language

A Streetcar Named Desire: A Level

Stanley uses sexist language: ‘You hens cut out that conversation in there!’ (Scene Three, p. 31).
Stanley uses colloquial tough-guy expressions: ‘Don’t play so dumb’; ‘Don’t pull that stuff’ (Scene Two, pp. 22, 23).
Mitch is polite to Blanche at first, but uses slang when he is disillusioned: ‘Are you boxed out of your mind?’ (Scene Nine, p. 85).
Stanley uses casually racist slang: ‘Put it in English, greaseball’ (Scene Eleven, p. 98).

Genre, structure and language

A Streetcar Named Desire: A Level

Blanche is polite, even when being rude: ‘If you will excuse me, I’m just about to drop’ (Scene One, p. 5).
Blanche sometimes exaggerates the formality of her language for effect: ‘You may release me now’ (Scene Six, p. 63).
Blanche quotes the stern formal terms in which she was condemned: ‘This woman is morally unfit for her position!’ (Scene Nine, p. 87).
The doctor speaks respectfully to Blanche, saying ‘How do you do?’ and ‘Miss DuBois’, which helps to win her trust (Scene Eleven, pp. 103, 106).