Live Like Pigs: cultural context

Section: The Angry Young Men

Live Like Pigs is a part of the curricular movement known as the Angry Young Men. This cultural phenomenon spans literature, drama, and film.
The Angry Young Men expressed frustration at the prevailing societal norms and political establishment of their time.
The name suggests a sense of youthful rebellion. The corresponding plays, including Live Like Pigs, often embody this spirit of defiance and dissatisfaction.

Section: The British New Wave

This play is also linked to the broader trend of the British New Wave in cinema and theatre, which aligned with the sentiments of the Angry Young Men.
The New Wave was characterised by radical, innovative approaches to narrative, character development, and thematic exploration. It was a reaction against the conservatism of preceding cultural expressions.
These cultural dynamics are reflected in the tone, structure and themes of Live Like Pigs.

Section: Kitchen Sink Realism

The era was also highlighted by the development of Kitchen Sink Realism, which is central to understanding the cultural context of Live Like Pigs.
Kitchen Sink Realism aimed to depict the realities of everyday life for the working class and lower middle class, shunning the idealised, sanitised version often presented in earlier British drama.
This observational realism incorporated elements of the mundane and the ordinary into its narratives, as seen in the everyday struggles of the characters in Live Like Pigs.

Section: The Welfare State

The ideology of the Welfare State was central to the cultural and socio-political landscape during the time when Live Like Pigs was written.
This was a state in which the government plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens.
This ideology impacts the narrative developments in Live Like Pigs, as the play explores the challenges and successes of community living, shared resources and social solidarity.