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Theatre spectatorship and the "apraxia" problem

Some recent work of Suvin (indebted to Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenologie de la perception) asserts that two fundamental aspects of the praxis of theatre spectatorship--the non-tactile, inactive physicality of the spectator, and her/his imaginative cognitive participation in the apperception of the performance text--might better be understood when examined with regard to the "apraxias," neurological disorders of purposive physical movement. This thesis follows up this line of thought in examining clinical material on apraxia, both temporally previous and subsequent to Merleau-Ponty's discussion. Additionally, it is contended that various paradigms in Bergson and within modern cognitive science (Edelman, Schacter) may be applied with some utility to the praxis of theatre spectatorship. This may lead to a better understanding of the mental participation of the spectator in the performance text as a modulation of present perception and past subjective experience. Such an understanding is compatible with a semiotic "encyclopedia" (Eco), possibly buttressing it with arguments extrapolated from neurology.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.59834
Date January 1989
CreatorsWood, Andrew
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Comparative Literature Program.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001171174, proquestno: AAIMM66447, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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