Astrid Tavella

Joanna Murray-smith's Australian Plays Astrid Tavella

Through her writings, the Melbourne-based author aims to draw a clear picture of what it means to be a woman nowadays and what kind of difficulties one has to go through. All of her female heroines are struggling with the same kinds of issues: ?How do they define themselves professionally??, ?How do they cope with the complexities of their emotional life??, ?How do they find room for a professional life and a personal life??, ?How do they deal with long-term relationships?? Love Child, Honour, Bombshells and The Female of the Species aptly express Joanna Murray-Smith?s aim to portray the problems and issues of contemporary female society. Their themes centre on female identity, generational conflicts and the delicate, but unique universal bond that ties a mother to her daughter. The book tries to provide answers to some key issues of major importance: ?What is the effect of motherhood and / or career on the gender identity of women in Joanna Murray-Smith?s plays?? and ?How does having children change the way women in the four plays think about themselves??