Lillian Hellmans South through Her Characters: A Study of Three Film Adaptations

Abstract

The relevance of the study of fictional characters is justified by the fact that, regardless of the medium in which they appear, they represent meaningful experiences for individuals. In particular, the southern film characters adapted from original works by American playwright Lillian Hellman are still of current interest because of their attractive complexity as well as for the regional and universal themes they stand for. This dissertation aims to provide an interpretive analysis of her most representative southern characters in three films of the Classical Hollywood: The Little Foxes (1941), Another Part of the Forest (1948), and Toys in the Attic (1963). For this purpose, an in-depth analysis of characters has been carried out paying attention to both their self-identity and social features. From an eclectic theoretical approach (sociology, southern studies, identity theory, and film character analysis), this study focuses on the social, cultural, political, and economic contexts portrayed in the above-mentioned adaptations without completely losing sight of the original plays. It points out to the relevance of characters for the reception and transmission of socio-cultural issues through cinema. This work confirms that, despite the historical distance with topics belonging to times of the past and located in specific areas of the South of the United States, the understanding and sympathy of the contemporary viewer can be achieved through the connection established with the characters. It also highlights the fact that southern identity does not vanish with the Old South but it mutates and evolves with society and in no case excludes universal traits. The detailed analysis of film characters, rather than the study of the story introduced or the themes themselves, is thus here validated as a practical tool for the understanding of society and the expansion of knowledge of the world and the individual itself.