Abstract
This dissertation aims to provide an in-depth literary analysis of Sam Shepard's seven Family Plays: The Holy Ghostly (1969), Curse of the Starving Class (1977), Buried Child (1978), True West (1980), Fool for Love (1983), A Lie of the Mind (1985), and States of Shock (1992). The main objective is to explore how this Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright presents dysfunctional familial relationships employing simultaneously specific conventions of the traditional Gothic mode. Hence, a central key to the writing of this dissertation is the suggested dysfunctional-gothic formula examined chronologically in all seven plays under consideration; a dimension found new but lacking in the previous critical studies. In examining family relations, literary and psychological approaches are adopted to analyze the attitudes of family members and to highlight their struggle to repress the past and the consequences of the emergence of the repressed memories. Furthermore, comparisons and contrasts are also given to pinpoint the similarities and differences between Shepard's use of the gothic devices and the Gothic tradition in general, and between him and other twentieth century dramatists in the portrayal of family conflict. As each of the four chapters demonstrates, Shepard's thought-provoking texts unravel the dark sides of interpersonal relations through presenting on stage a number of haunted family members who are emotionally and, sometimes, mentally and physically scarred. Instead of writing about the home as a place of security and concord, Shepard represents it as a place of danger and imprisonment. Ordinary life is shown as an alien world by juxtaposing the familiar with the unfamiliar and the known with the hidden in ways similar to gothic writings. In light of the dramatist's own relation with his absent/present father and his inability to come to terms with his own past, Shepard's cycle of family drama consists of six plays similar in their story line and one distinct play that converts the previous pessimistic dystopian vision into one where hope predominates over hatred and animosity. The combination of dysfunctional traits and gothic paraphernalia attests my argument that together they form a unique drama that is not only socially effective but theatrically inventive.
