Love, Madness, and Alienation: A Feminist Reading of David Hare’s Knuckle and Skylight

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 M.A,, Department of English Language and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Linguistics, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Kurdistan, Iran.

Abstract

Abstract


The current study scrutinizes David Hare’s Knuckle (1974) and Skylight (1995) through the second-wave radical feminist theory, drawing on Kate Millett’s Sexual Politics (1970) and Christine Delphy’s Close to Home: A Materialist Analysis of Women’s Oppression (1984). According to Millett, societal power structures subjugate women and Delphy explores the roles of husband and wife at home as analogous to employer and employee. This analysis highlights the themes of love, madness, and alienation as consequences of sexual politics. The findings reveal how sexual politics and social roles are manifested in Hare’s Knuckle and Skylight. Also, Millett’s ideas reveal how romantic love functions as a tool for women’s exploitation. In this research Delphy’s theory is used to examine alienation within familial structures. The analysis demonstrates how these concepts are represented in Hare’s selected plays. The study also provides a novel feminist perspective on Knuckle and Skylight and it offers new insights into the intersection of feminist theory and literature.

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Main Subjects

Linguistic Studies: Theory and Practice

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 15 July 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 26 September 2024
  • Revise Date: 02 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 15 July 2025

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