Cross-dressing in Caryl Churchills Cloud Nine (1979) and Top Girls (1982)

During the 1960s and 1970s, the second wave of feminism took place in Britain. Back then, women did not just carry the fight for equality in marriage and work, but they also wanted to break free of the chains of gender stereotypes that the patriarchy drew about them. The second wave of feminism; also known as the ‘Women’s Liberation Movements’, did not focus on giving rights to women only but also to sex minorities (e.g. homosexuals, transsexuals. etc.). Caryl Churchill is a prominent English contemporary playwright whose works often attack sexual prejudices and oppressions that took place in the 20th century because of patriarchy. Transvestism, or ‘cross-dressing’, was one of the dramatic strategies that Churchill frequently used to reflect her feminist ideology in her plays; where actors dress like the opposite gender. In her two notable plays Cloud Nine (1979) and Top Girls (1982), Churchill used cross-dressing to reflect her feminist criticism to the injustices that were taking place at that time in Britain. In Cloud Nine, Churchill attacks both Britain’s mistreatment of women, homosexuals and black people. In Top Girls, Churchill criticizes Thatcherism and exposes how Thatcher’s rise to power had not met the criteria British women were expecting from her. In this respect, this work tackles three issues: First, why was cross-dressing used in both plays? Second, how was crossdressing used differently in each play? Third, what were the themes which reflect Churchill’s feminist position in both plays? 

Table of Contents

Dedication…………..………………………………………………………………………….I

Acknowledgements…………..………………………………………………………………..II

Abstract…………..…………………………………………………………………………...III

Contents..…………..…………………………………………………………………………IV

General Introduction…………..……………………………………………………………….1

Chapter One: Cross-dressing between the Past and the Present

Introduction…………..………………………………………………………………………...5

1.1. Definition…………..………………………………………………………………………5

1.2. Transvestism vs. Cross-dressing…………………………………………………………...6

1.3. Cross-dressing in Classical Narratives……………………………………………………..7

1.3.1. History…………………………………………………………………………...7

1.4.2. Mythology……………………………………………………………………...10

1.5. Cross-dressing as a Cultural Phenomenon……………………………………………….11

1.5.1. Society………………………………………………………………………….11

1.5.2. “Doing-Drag”…………………………………………………………………..13

1.5.3. Cross-dressing as a Theme in Festivals…………………………………………15

1.6. Cross-dressing in Arts…………………………………………………………………….16

1.6.1. Literature……………………………………………………………………….16

1.6.2. Theatre………………………………………………………………………….18

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………20

Chapter Two: Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine (1979) and Top Girls (1982)

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………...21

2.1. The UK of the 1970s and the 1980s……………………………………………………….21

 2.1.1. Economic Crisis………………………………………………………………...21

 2.1.2. Feminist and Gay Movements…………………………………………………..22

 2.1.3. Race Relations………………………………………………………………….23

2.2. British Theatre during the 1970s……………………………………………………….....24 

2.3. Caryl Churchill: A Biography………………………………………………………….....26

2.4. Cloud Nine (1979)………………………………………………………………………..28

2.4.1. Overview……………………………………………………………………….28

2.4.2. Themes…………………………………………………………………………29

2.5. Top Girls (1982)………………………………………………………………………….35

2.5.1. Overview……………………………………………………………………….35

2.5.2. Themes…………………………………………………………………………35

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………40

Chapter Three: Cross-Dressing in Churchill’s Cloud Nine and Top Girls

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………...41

3.1. Cross-Dressing: An Overview……………………………………………………………41

3.2. Cross-dressing as a Motif in Cloud Nine………………………………………………….42

 3.2.1. Discussion………………………………………………………………………43

3.3. Cross-dressing as a Minor Theme in Top Girls…………………………………………..46

 3.3.1. Discussion…………………………………………………………………........46

3.4. Cross-dressing in Cloud Nine and Top Girls: A Contrast…………………………………49

3.5. Caryl Churchill’s Use of Cross-Dressing…………………………………………………50

3.6. Cross-dressing between the Past and the Present…………………………………………51

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………52

General Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….53

Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………..55

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………57