Outside the comfort zone

 I'm struggling with a few issues that circle around representation.

On the one hand, there is the overwhelming dominance of white male straight worldview in the dramatic literature, especially in the Western canon. 

This is what I grew up with. This is what I know. 

I've often said that if you read Greek and Roman mythology, the King James Bible, and William Shakespeare, you will "get" 90% of literary references in Western literature.

This is still true. However, it is changing- and it needs to change. 

We can't ignore the past. We must expand on it. Broaden our understanding of the canon. Uncover lost voices, and revisit past classics. 

 There are voices that have been lost or hidden. For women's voices, I knew about Hrosvitha in the 900s, and Hildegard von Bingen in the 1100s.

Hrosvitha

I only learned last year about Katherine of Sutton! This is England and women! I should have known about this!

 

 Also, how did I not know about Margaret Cavendish, and The Convent of Pleasure?

 

I had heard of the female playwrights of the Spanish Golden Age, but I have only recently acquired English translations of some of their plays.

Ana Caro Mallén de Soto

This does not begin to address the other gaps in my understanding and appreciation of minority voices. More on that soon.

I wrestle with these for so many reasons.