Writer’s Methods and Techniques
“Writer’s methods and techniques” is an umbrella term for anything the writer does on purpose to create meaning. Using the writer’s name in your response will help you to think about the text as a conscious construct and will keep reminding you that Tennessee Williams purposely put the text together.
The best responses at IGCSE don’t limit their analysis to individual words and phrases. Examiners are really looking for analysis of Williams’s overall aims, so try to take a “whole-text” approach to writer’s methods and techniques. There are a number of dramatic methods and techniques used in A Streetcar Named Desire:
Exam Tip
Remember that the people in the text are conscious constructs, and so are the places being described, and the objects mentioned. Try to learn to notice deliberate things Williams has done to communicate his ideas.
As you read the play, try to consider: “why this, now?” For instance, our introduction to Stanley is him “bellowing” and throwing a packet of meat at Stella. What does this tell us about these two characters and their relationship?