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machinal

Machinal is an English adjective meaning relating to machines; mechanical or machine-like in character. It is used in literary and critical contexts to describe rhythms, procedures, or processes that resemble machinery. The term derives from the Latin machina via French machinal, and it is often used to convey dehumanization or automation in discussions of the machine age and industrial aesthetics.

Machinal is also the title of a 1928 expressionist play by Sophie Treadwell, inspired by the Ruth

Since its Broadway premiere in 1928, Machinal has been studied as an influential example of expressionist drama

Snyder
murder
case.
It
centers
on
a
young
woman,
referred
to
in
the
play
as
the
Young
Woman,
who
seeks
independence
from
oppressive
work
and
marriage
but
is
overwhelmed
by
social
and
economic
pressures.
The
work
is
structured
as
episodic
scenes
that
evoke
the
mechanized
tempo
of
modern
life,
with
repetitive
patterns
and
sounds
that
underscore
the
protagonist's
alienation.
The
play
is
widely
regarded
as
a
landmark
of
American
theatre
for
its
stark
critique
of
gender
roles,
conformity,
and
the
dehumanizing
aspects
of
urban
capitalism.
and
feminist
critique.
It
is
frequently
analyzed
for
its
non-naturalistic
form,
its
portrayal
of
the
tensions
between
individual
desire
and
societal
expectations,
and
its
enduring
interest
to
later
generations
of
playwrights
and
theatre
practitioners.