A Study Of Cosmopolitanism In Mary Zimmerman's Adapted Plays

Mary Zimmerman is a celebrated contemporary American playwright and theatre director.Most of Zimmerman's plays are adapted from literary works in different countries and time,and get academic attention.Scholars' research on Zimmerman's works mainly focuses on the analysis of her dramatic adaptation,and little attention is paid to Zimmerman's thought value conveyed by her adaptation.Based on the framework of cosmopolitanism,this thesis focuses on the analysis of Zimmerman's Metamorphoses and The White Snake,and attempts to explore her cosmopolitan dispositions in the adaptation of these two works.The origin of cosmopolitanism can be traced back to ancient Greece.Due to its elaboration on cultural diversity,individual value and universal concern,the ancient concept cosmopolitanism has once again come to the discursive center of scholars and writers.Zimmerman's adaptation of classical and Oriental literature accords with the respect for cultural differences advocated by cosmopolitanism,and also leads us to reflect on the current situation of contemporary world literature.By reshaping the characters,Zimmerman emphasizes the responsibility and autonomy of specific individuals,which is in line with cosmopolitanism's appeal for the realization of individual value.Zimmerman's sympathy for the suffering of human beings indicates her concern for the living conditions of human,which is an embodiment of her universal concern for human beings from the perspective of cosmopolitanism.At the same time,Zimmerman demonstrates her profound understanding and receptive attitude towards cultural diversity in theatrics,which is the manifestation of her cosmopolitanism at artistic and aesthetic level.To sum up,Zimmerman's dramatic adaptation expresses her ultimate concern for human beings and her pursuit of harmonious coexistence of cultural diversity,which are the expressions of her cosmopolitanism.