Publication Date
Fall 2015
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Television, Radio, Film and Theatre
Advisor
David Kahn
Keywords
American West, Archetype, Bohemian Club, California Literature, George Sterling, San Francisco
Subject Areas
American studies; Theater history; American literature
Abstract
In 1872, a group of San Francisco newspapermen came together to start their own men’s club. This group, which named itself the Bohemian Club, was an outgrowth and a representative of the rapid development of the city of San Francisco at that time. Shortly after its founding, the club began making an annual retreat to the redwood forests north of the city. Eventually, the club began producing elaborate performances of musical dramas, referred to as Grove Plays, written and performed exclusively for club members at these summer retreats. This thesis, which takes its name from a line in one of these plays, makes connections between the regions of San Francisco and the American West, and the early development of the Bohemian Club and its Grove Plays, through an archetypal analysis of the first Grove Plays within the context of Western American literature as established by William Everson. The ultimate purpose of this work is to provide an argument that the early Grove Plays of the Bohemian Club are an important and overlooked part of Western American and Californian theatre history.
Recommended Citation
Denouden, Jeremy, "“Great Nature, Refuge of the Weary Heart:” A Regional and Literary Exploration of the Early Grove Plays of the Bohemian Club" (2015). Master's Theses. 4631.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.6f3u-8rwd
https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4631
