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ETD Abstract Container

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Protect, Preserve, and Reform: An Analysis of Three Plays by David Mamet Through the Lens of Kirkian Conservatism

Shadle, Jennifer, Klicker
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1528484860315471

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Theatre and Film.
American playwright David Mamet announced his conservatism in 2004 through an article in The Village Voice. While many of his plays have inspired scholarship, especially regarding the theme of unethical business practices in his work, analyses of the influence of his conservatism are rare. With a methodology primarily focused on character analysis, I examine the implications of conservative themes in character interactions in three of David Mamet’s plays. Specifically, I explore the mentor/student relationship in American Buffalo (1975), the spirit or potential of the individual in Glengarry Glen Ross (1984), and natural law and justice in The Anarchist (2012). My conservative lens is provided through the work of Russell Kirk, an important theorist and writer who believed conservatism to be philosophically rooted in individuals. Kirk’s brand of conservatism was less concerned with partisan politics, instead devoting attention to the implications of an ideology on the daily lives of individuals. Moreover, I find that a question at the heart of conservatism, what must be preserved, protected, and reformed so that society may progress, is also a vital component to Mamet’s work. Through an examination of Mamet’s characters as they appear on the page, I explore the implications of Kirkian conservatism in Mamet’s work.
Angela Ahlgren, Dr. (Advisor)
Jonathan Chambers, Dr. (Committee Member)
93 p.
Philosophy; Theater
Theatre; David Mamet; Russell Kirk; Conservatism; Philosophy

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Shadle, Klicker, J. (2018). Protect, Preserve, and Reform: An Analysis of Three Plays by David Mamet Through the Lens of Kirkian Conservatism [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1528484860315471

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Shadle, Klicker, Jennifer. Protect, Preserve, and Reform: An Analysis of Three Plays by David Mamet Through the Lens of Kirkian Conservatism. 2018. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1528484860315471.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Shadle, Klicker, Jennifer. "Protect, Preserve, and Reform: An Analysis of Three Plays by David Mamet Through the Lens of Kirkian Conservatism." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1528484860315471

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.