This thesis explores the profound influence of twentieth-century philosophy, and in particular the writings of phenomenologist Jan Patočka, on Wajdi Mouawad. While Mouawad's literary and dramatic sources have been widely discussed in recent scholarship, his philosophical sources have remained under-explored. Seeking to rectify this critical lacuna, the thesis addresses the key concepts Mouawad draws from the writings of Patočka including the central role of 'trace'. Through its investigation of Mouawad's engagement with Patočka, this thesis delineates Mouawad's philosophical and ethical aims. The thesis first considers the multiplicity of self in Mouawad's work, and its relationship to Patočka's 'shakenness' and 'care for the soul'. Chapter 1 investigates how an internal confrontation provoked by trace leads to a search for meaning as 'the soul discovers itself'. It analyses Mouawad's first play, Willy Protagoras enfermé dans les toilettes, and the more recent Seuls, to address the evolution of Mouawad's notion of self. Chapter 2 explores the significance of temporal awareness and time, as Patočka's three movements of human existence drive Mouawad's protagonists in their experience of shakenness. The plays discussed are Littoral, in which Mouawad first essayed non-linear time structures, and Incendies, which utilises a complex temporal oscillation. Chapter 3 turns to space as what arises through the individual's relationship to the world, focusing on Forêts and Ciels, two of Mouawad's most spatially complex productions. Chapter 4 examines two of Mouawad's recent plays, Temps and Sœurs, in its investigation of the role of testimony in developing the solidarity that emerges through the encounter with the other. The thesis then concludes with a discussion of how, and to what extent, Mouawad tackles his ambitions, particularly in their relation to trace.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:730143 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Pangburn, Natalie |
| Contributors | Garfitt, Toby |
| Publisher | University of Oxford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9f4d7b81-bdf3-4dc3-8318-70bc9df18c8d |
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