The dramatic feminine discourse of Cristina Escofet

Abstract

The Dramatic Feminine Discourse of Cristina Escofet interrogates this author's use of language as a way to unravel her feminist discourse. In her writings on theater, her public pronouncements and her theater workshops Escofet employs the term "kaleidoscope" to describe her approach to language: colorful, changing and composed of many components. Therefore, my search to describe Escofet's feminine discourse uses a definition of discourse that embraces its kaleidoscopic nature. My approach is grounded in the theoretical insights of Helene Cixous, first and primary disseminator of the theory of feminine discourse, who maintains that feminine writing is elusive and must be approached from different angles. Consequently, my thesis also encompasses a study of the images of women, and their sexuality, and the effects of simulacra on feminine identity. In Cristina Escofet's search for a contemporary image of women her feminine discourse reevaluates, destabalizes or reinvents the image of women that has been perpetuated through Hollywood and through the telling and retelling of fairy and folk tales. The image of or reference to heroines like Little Red Ridding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, or Snow White and of actresses such as Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, and the character Annie Hall are integrated into almost every one of Escofet plays. These images of Hollywood actresses and fairy and folk tale heroines stem from their performative gender roles. As Judith Butler explains, gender is an act created by society that has been mistaken for reality. To mistake the act for the real is a direct consequence of simulacra as explained by Jean Baudrillard. Escofet, conscious of the nature of signs in today's society, presents and explores the problems that arise out of the performative nature of gender, or rather, out of simulacra in relation to female's identity in her plays. The exploration of the image of women and the effects of simulacra on feminine identity continue in Escofet's characters' exploration of sexuality. Escofet adequately represents women's sexual beliefs, attitudes and experiences.