Tekstanalyse og –historie (Spring 2008) Session Three: Drama III. Harold Pinter, The Dumb Waiter and British Prose in the 20th Century

Agenda British Prose in the 20th Century British Prose in the 20th Century Group work: Harold Pinter, The Dumb Waiter Group work: Harold Pinter, The Dumb Waiter Presentation and discussion Presentation and discussion

British Prose in the 20th Century Modernism Modernism Anti-modernism Anti-modernism Postmodernism Postmodernism

Modernism James Joyce, ”The Dead” The dismantling of 19th century conventions and attitudes, e.g. concerning feminity and representation Mimesis of the mind

James Joyce, ”The Dead”: against conventions of femininity He stood still in the gloom of the hall, trying to catch the air that the voice was singing and gazing up at his wife. There was grace and mystery in her attitude as if she were a symbol of something. He asked himself what is a woman standing on the stairs in the shadow, listening to distant music, a symbol of. If he were a painter, he would paint her in that attitude. Her blue felt hat would show off the bronze of her hair against the darkness and the dark panels of her skirt would show off the light ones. (p. 2192) He stood still in the gloom of the hall, trying to catch the air that the voice was singing and gazing up at his wife. There was grace and mystery in her attitude as if she were a symbol of something. He asked himself what is a woman standing on the stairs in the shadow, listening to distant music, a symbol of. If he were a painter, he would paint her in that attitude. Her blue felt hat would show off the bronze of her hair against the darkness and the dark panels of her skirt would show off the light ones. (p. 2192)

James Joyce, ”The Dead”: towards new forms of representing consciousness A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead. A few light taps upon the pane made him turn to the window. It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, upon every part of the lonely churchyard on the hill where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.

Anti-modernism Graham Greene, ”I Spy” (1932) Graham Greene, ”I Spy” (1932) Realism and mimesis Realism and mimesis

An Example: ”Charlie Stowe waited until he heard his mother snore before he got out of bed. Even then he moved with caution and tiptoed to the window. The front of the house was irregular, so that it was possible to see a light burning in his mother’s room. But now all the windows were dark. A search-light passed across the sky, lighting the banks of cloud and probing the dark deep spaces between, seeking enemy airships. The wind blew from the sea, and Charlie Stowe could hear behind his mother’s snores the beating of the waves. A draught through the crack in the window-frame stirred his night- shirt. Charlie Stowe was frightened.” (Graham Greene, ”I Spy”, p. 534) ”Charlie Stowe waited until he heard his mother snore before he got out of bed. Even then he moved with caution and tiptoed to the window. The front of the house was irregular, so that it was possible to see a light burning in his mother’s room. But now all the windows were dark. A search-light passed across the sky, lighting the banks of cloud and probing the dark deep spaces between, seeking enemy airships. The wind blew from the sea, and Charlie Stowe could hear behind his mother’s snores the beating of the waves. A draught through the crack in the window-frame stirred his night- shirt. Charlie Stowe was frightened.” (Graham Greene, ”I Spy”, p. 534)

Graham Greene, ”I Spy” At last he got his courage back by telling himself in his curiously adult way that if he were caught now there was nothing to be done about it, and he might as well have his smoke. He put a cigarette in his mouth and then remembered that he had no matches. For a while he dared not move. Three times the searchlight hit the shop as he muttered taunts and encouragements. ’May as well be hung for a sheep,’ ’Cowardly, cowardly custard,’ grown-up and childish exhortations oddly mixed. (535) At last he got his courage back by telling himself in his curiously adult way that if he were caught now there was nothing to be done about it, and he might as well have his smoke. He put a cigarette in his mouth and then remembered that he had no matches. For a while he dared not move. Three times the searchlight hit the shop as he muttered taunts and encouragements. ’May as well be hung for a sheep,’ ’Cowardly, cowardly custard,’ grown-up and childish exhortations oddly mixed. (535)

Postmodernism Richard Holmes, In Stevenson’s Footsteps Richard Holmes, In Stevenson’s Footsteps Intertextuality Intertextuality Metanarrative and metafiction Metanarrative and metafiction Selfreferentiality Selfreferentiality

Intertextuality […]the multiple ways in which one literary text is made up of other texts, by means of its overt or covert citations and allusions, its repetitions and transformations of the formal and substantive features of earlier texts, or simply its unavoidable participation in the common stock of linguistic and literary conventions and procedures that are ”always already” in place and constitute the discourses into which we are born. (Abrams, 317)

Richard Holmes, ”In Stevenson’s Footsteps” Even in imagination the gap was there. It had to be recognized. You could not play-act into the past; you could not turn it into a game of make-believe. There had to be other methods of reaching it. Somehow you had to produce the living effect, while remaining true to the dead fact. The adult distance – the critical distance, the historical distance – had to be maintained. You stood at the end of the broken bridge, and looked across carefully, objectively, into the unattainable past on the other side. You brought it alive, you brought it back, by other sorts of skills and crafts and sensible magic. (141)

Group work: Harold Pinter, The Dumb Waiter Staging: outline the setting. Important props? Staging: outline the setting. Important props? Characters: Who? Sympathy? Antipathy? Characters: Who? Sympathy? Antipathy? Plot / action: what happens? Plot / action: what happens? Theme: does the play have a point or a message? Something it wants to convince us about? Theme: does the play have a point or a message? Something it wants to convince us about?