This thesis will counter the argument that farce is a simplistic dramatic form low in the theatrical hierarchy and demonstrate that it is both complex and multifaceted. It will be shown to have a long history and to have influenced many different dramatic forms. The thesis is in two sections. The first will explore farce in general, and the second will use the sitcom Fawlty Towers as a case study in order to explore the televisual mode and its relevance to the contemporary context. The question “What is farce?” will be answered in detail, thus developing an unambiguous perception of the genre which will form a contextual basis for the rest of the thesis. Recurring themes will be used to link chapters together and certain issues raised in early chapters will be expanded upon in later ones. A key aspect to be taken into consideration is the importance the physical plays in farce. Thus, my focus will be specifically on performance texts, and not limit itself to the “literary” texts. The theatrical hierarchy will be addressed directly, exploring why and how the genre has been delegated to the lowest rung of the hierarchical ladder. Such a classification will be destabilised and shown to be unfounded because it is based on such assumptions as tragedy being the “best” genre because it is tragedy, and farce the worst because it is farce. The conclusions made in this section will then be demonstrated by approaching farce in a more oblique manner through an exploration of Commedia dell’Arte and Medieval Carnival. This will reveal the extent to which farce and/or its techniques have manifested themselves. Fawlty Towers will be introduced to determine how farce has translated to the televisual medium. Fawlty Towers is useful because, unlike the “literary texts” studied earlier, its recordings provide visual/aural examples which are more practical in exploring farce’s physical characteristics. The farcical aspects of Commedia and Carnival will be re-explored to show how they have evolved and manifested themselves in the sitcom form. Integral to the thesis is a study on laughter. Various laughter theories will be studied in relation to Fawlty Towers to establish that, like farce, laughter is also a complicated subject matter worthy of study. Through association, farce is shown to be even more complex. The thesis concludes with an analysis of the Fawlty Towers performance text to illustrate farce’s multifaceted nature, and that it can, and should, be taken “seriously”. The series’ “closed world” will be examined to discover how it ideally suits the farcical paradigm. Then, using Victorian beliefs and ethics as a contextual base, I explore how farce parodies this outdated value system as it is played out anachronistically through the character of Basil Fawlty. The thesis terminates with a brief conclusion summing up what was analysed, while affirming that the premise proposed in the introduction has been achieved.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/221031 |
| Date | January 2004 |
| Creators | Dalla Costa, Dario |
| Publisher | University of Western Australia. English, Communications and Cultural Studies Discipline Group, University of Western Australia. School of Social and Cultural Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Dario Dalla Costa, http://www.itpo.uwa.edu.au/UWA-Computer-And-Software-Use-Regulations.html |
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