A Foucauldian Reading of Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good in a Socio-Political Context

One of the pioneering women dramatists British literature, Timberlake Wertenbaker provides both a criticism post-war Britain and propaganda ameliorating function theatre in her play Our Country’s Good (1988). As based on novel The Playmaker (1987) by Thomas Keneally, builds upon issue redemptive effects portraying group convicts ship that takes them to Australia eighteenth century. portrays different authority figures consisting those who believe traditional means punishment suggest possibility redemption through as an alternative severe punishment. It is possible analyse conflicting views officers concerning appropriate methods from Foucauldian perspective. This reading draws Foucault’s proposal penal reform requires use carceral transformation work exercise resulting correction delinquents’ behaviour. paper focuses social analyses representation conflation between Wertenbaker’s light dominant ideology these issues Thatcher years.