As delineated in the Introduction, the central
direction of this thesis is that of determining the nature and
purpose of Harold Pinter's-drama, of tracing his relationship
to contemporary drama and dramatists in general, and the
theatre of the Absurd in particular.
Contrary to the popular belief that the concept of
the Absurd suddenly burst upon the literary scene within
the last decade, the emphasis of the first chapter lies on
the evolutionary process of its development. The idea of
the Absurd, or better, an intuition of the concept of the
Absurd can be discovered in the philosophic, literary, and
theatrical expression of the western world since the end of
the last century. These manifestations of the Absurd did
not reach the mind of the multitude until it began to express
itself through the medium of the theatre. Even then, however,
it remained somewhat esoteric in its appeal and reception.
Harold Pinter enters the scene of the Absurd, not as an innovator
but as a playwright with an exceptional sense of theatre.
He does not attempt to redefine its basic ideas, the concept
itself is already somewhat diffuse in meaning; his, is an expression
of an intense and concentrated image of the absurd.
He forged a new weapon with which to impress the Absurd on the
consciousness of the popular mind.
Pinter's variation of the Absurd thus differs from
the continental expression of Beckett and Ionesco in emphasis
and manner of expression, not in idea. Its area of concentration
is not on the human condition, but on the abject
apparition of the individual imprisoned in existence and
society. Unlike Beckett's his queries are not of a metaphysical
nature. Pinter probes into the masked reality of
everyday life. What he exposes is the presence of a menace
which threatens, intimidates and destroys the individual,
yet remains unidentified.
Toward the expression of this conception of man's
predicament, Pinter has conceived of a dramatic metaphor
which is best described as 'latent grotesque' in effect.
Thus the grotesque dominates the idea of his drama and is
the very essence of his threatrical form. The theatre which
can now be identified with Pinter's name is a drama of anxiety
which progresses from the comic grotesque to the terrifying
grotesque. Laughter which resolves itself in fear is the
new instrument with which an awareness of the Absurd is impressed
upon the audience. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/42408 |
| Date | January 1964 |
| Creators | Bobrow, Norah E. A. |
| Publisher | University of British Columbia |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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