illusion and reality in sir alan ayckbourn's plays

125 Pages·2015·1.64 MB·Turkish

T.C.
SELÇUK UNIVERSITY
SOCIAL SCIENCES
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

ILLUSION AND REALITY IN SIR ALAN
AYCKBOURN’S PLAYS: WOMAN IN MIND, JUST
BETWEEN OURSELVES, PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC
PLACES AND IF I WERE YOU

Ebru YAYLA HINIZ
MASTER’S THESIS
Supervisor
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gülbün ONUR

KONYA, 2015
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to my supervisor
Assist. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Gülbün ONUR for her guidance to me. I would like to thank
her for encouraging my research and supporting during the research and writing
process. I would also like to thank my committee members for serving as my
committee members even at hardship and letting my defense be an enjoyable
moment, and for their brilliant comments and suggestions. I have a special thanks to
my mother İsminaz YAYLA, my father İbrahim YAYLA and my brother Emrah
YAYLA for all of the helps that they’ve made on my behalf. I would also like to
thank all of my friends who supported me in writing, and incented me to strive
towards my goal. At the end I would like express my appreciation to my beloved
husband Gökhan HINIZ who spent sleepless nights with and was always my support
in the moments when there was no one to answer my queries.

Ebru YAYLA HINIZ
KONYA, 2015

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Bilimsel Etik Sayfası ............................................ Hata! Yer işareti tanımlanmamış.
Yüksek Lisans Tezi Kabul Formu ........................ Hata! Yer işareti tanımlanmamış.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .......................................................................................... iv
ÖZET ......................................................................................................................... vii
ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................. viii
CHAPTER 1 ............................................................................................................... 1
SIR ALAN AYCKBOURN ....................................................................................... 1
1.1 Objective of the Study ........................................................................................ 1
1.2 Biography of Sir Alan Ayckbourn ..................................................................... 2
1.3 A Glance to the Reflection of His Life to His Works ........................................ 7
CHAPTER 2 ............................................................................................................. 10
COMEDY OF SIR ALAN AYCKBOURN ........................................................... 10
2.1. Differences in Sir Alan Ayckbourn Comedies Compared To the Other
Comedy Plays......................................................................................................... 10
CHAPTER 3 ............................................................................................................. 12
ILLUSION AND REALITY ................................................................................... 12
3.1 Illusion.............................................................................................................. 12
3.2 Reality .............................................................................................................. 13
CHAPTER 4 ............................................................................................................. 16
SUSAN: MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER IN WOMAN IN MIND ..................... 16
4.1 Summary of the Play: Woman in Mind ............................................................ 16
4.2 Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s Point of View on Woman in Mind ............................... 19
4.3 Illusion and Reality in Woman in Mind ........................................................... 21
4.4 Man as a Disregarding Figure and Woman Disregarded and These Two
Figures Depictions in Woman in Mind ................................................................... 54
4.5 Stylistic Examples from Woman in Mind ........................................................ 59
CHAPTER 5 ............................................................................................................. 66
VERA: MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER IN JUST BETWEEN OURSELVES . 66
5.1 Summary of the Play: Just Between Ourselves ................................................ 66
5.2 Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s Point of View on Just Between Ourselves ................... 69
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5.3 Illusion and Reality in Just Between Ourselves ............................................... 70
5.4 Negligence of a Man and Neglected Woman in Just Between Ourselves ....... 77
5.5 Stylistic Examples from Just Between Ourselves ............................................ 79
CHAPTER 6 ............................................................................................................. 83
CHARLOTTE AND NICOLA: MAIN FEMALE CHARACTERS IN PRIVATE
FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES ................................................................................. 83
6.1 Summary of the Play: Private Fears in Public Places .................................... 83
6.2 Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s Point of View to Private Fears in Public Places ......... 86
6.3 Illusion and Reality in Private Fears in Public Places .................................... 88
6.4 Man as an Ignoring Figure and Woman Ignored In Private Fears in Public
Places ..................................................................................................................... 95
6.5 Stylistic Examples from Private Fears in Public Places ................................ 99
CHAPTER 7 ........................................................................................................... 102
JILL: MAIN FEMALE CHARACTER IN IF I WERE YOU ........................... 102
7.1 Summary of the Play: If I Were You .............................................................. 102
7.2 Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s Point of View on If I Were You .................................. 103
7.3 Illusion and Reality in If I Were You .............................................................. 104
7.4 Man as a Patronizing Figure and Woman Patronized in If I Were You ......... 110
7.5 Stylistic Examples from If I Were You ........................................................... 111
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 113
References ................................................................................................................ 114
Özgeçmiş ................................................................................................................. 117

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T. C.
SELÇUK ÜNİVERSİTESİ
Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Müdürlüğü

Adı Soyadı Ebru YAYLA HINIZ
Numarası 104208002008
n
i Ana Bilim / Bilim Dalı İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı/ İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı
n
i
nc Programı Tezli Yüksek Lisans Doktora
e
r
ğ Tez Danışmanı Yrd. Doç .Dr. Ayşe Gülbün ONUR
Ö
Tezin Adı IMALNILNUDDS II,F OJ UIN SW TAE NBREDET RYWEOEAUEL NIT OYU INRS SEILRV AELSA,N P RAIYVCAKTBEO FUERANR’SS PINLA PYUSB: LWICO MPLAANC EINS

ÖZET
Bu tez Sir Alan Ayckbourn’ un oyunlarındaki yanılsama ve gerçeklik olgularının
incelenmesini ve özellikle ana kadın karakterler tarafından deneyimlenen ve erkek karakterlerin
ilgisiz tavırlarından kaynaklanan travma ve psikolojik durumlarının ortaya koyulmasını
amaçlamaktadır. Bu tezle hedeflenen söz konusu kadınların yanılsama yaşamalarının ve
gerçeklikte hissettikleri kafa karışıklıklarının nedenlerini araştırma adına yöntem önermektir. Bu
dört oyunda biçimsel analiz yöntemi kullanılarak yaşanılan çelişki detaylı bir şekilde
incelenecektir. Dilbilimsel bakış açısı ve biçimsel bir analiz kullanılarak bu oyunlarda yer alan ana
sahnelerdeki diyalogları, kadın karakterlerin bakış açıları ve diğer karakterlerle – özellikle erkek
karakterlerle– olan ilişkileri alıntılanacak ve incelenecektir. Bunun yanı sıra tepkileri analiz
edilecek ve söz konusu bireylerin ve sosyal çevrenin kullandığı dilin yanılsamayı nasıl tetiklediği
ve karakterlerin nasıl bir psikolojik travma yaşadıklarını göstermek adına yapılan alıntılara yer
verilecektir. Yapılan analiz bazı ilkelere dayandırılacaktır. Böylece bu çalışma, oyun yazarının
yanılsamayı gerçeklikle nasıl bağdaştırdığı üzerinde yoğunlaşacaktır. Öte yandan tüm bu
aşamalar, psikolojik bir çalışmayla da bağdaştırılacaktır.

Anahtar kelimeler: Ayckbourn, drama, evlilik, gerçeklik, hor görme, If I Were You, ihmal, Just
Between Ourselves, kara mizah, Private Fears in Public Places, yanılsama, Woman in Mind.
vii
T. C.
SELÇUK ÜNİVERSİTESİ
Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Müdürlüğü

Adı Soyadı Ebru YAYLA HINIZ
Numarası 104208002008
n
i Ana Bilim / Bilim Dalı İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı/ İngiliz Dili ve Edebiyatı
n
i
nc Programı Tezli Yüksek Lisans Doktora
e
r
ğ Tez Danışmanı Yrd. Doç .Dr. Ayşe Gülbün ONUR
Ö
Tezin İngilizce Adı IWILNLO UPMUSAIBONLNI CI NA P NMLDAIN CRDEE,S AJ UALNISTTDY B IIEFNT I WS WIERE EARNLEA OYNUO RAUSY ECLKVBEOSU, RPRNI’VS APLTAEY FSE: ARS

ABSTRACT
This study is an argument of illusion and reality in Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s plays via
exemplifying the main female characters’ traumas and psychology based on the disregarding
actions of male figures against them. It aims to offer a way to look for reasons that lead these
women to have illusions and be confused in reality. In these four plays, through a stylistic
analysis, such discrepancy will be evaluated in detail. These four plays will be approached from
a stylistic point of view in other words a linguistic perspective will be maintained. Major scenes
from both works will be quoted and studied in detail to support the reflection of female
characters’ point of view and their conversations with the others especially male figures.
Reactions will be analyzed. In the quotations, some principles will be established to explain
particular choices of individuals and social groups in their use of language that triggers the
illusion and causes psychological traumas for the characters. Therefore the study will focus on
how the playwright associates illusions with reality. All these phases will refer to a
psychological study as well.
Keywords: Ayckbourn, dark comedy, drama, If I Were You, ignorance, illusion, Just
Between Ourselves, man, marriage, negligence, patronizing, Private Fears in Public
Places, reality, woman, Woman in Mind.
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CHAPTER 1
SIR ALAN AYCKBOURN

1.1 Objective of the Study

This thesis mainly examines illusion and reality in Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s
plays and underlines how these two subjects are depicted in the flow of Woman in
Mind, Just Between Ourselves, Private Fears in Public Places and If I Were You. It
also aims to show how Sir Alan Ayckbourn uses his characters to depict the outcome
of the women who are disregarded by the male figures in the plays. Sir Alan
Ayckbourn reflects this destructed world. It plays an important role in terms of
having the women’s point of views and how they see the world they live in under the
shadow of male figures’ dominance.
In Woman in Mind, Just Between Ourselves, Private Fears in Public Places
and If I Were You, the main female characters are portrayed as psychologically weak,
destructed and hopeless figures. They are oppressed and inclined to have illusions
and then at the same time cope with reality. These two different paradoxical states
are clearly highlighted with the dialogues and monologues of four female figures.
Especially, in Woman in Mind, it is clearly depicted with Susan's real and imaginary
world. By giving specific examples from the plays, it is planned to emphasize how
Sir Alan Ayckbourn reflects weak women under the pressure of their imaginary
worlds and creates two worlds: illusion and reality.
Having experienced a traumatic childhood because of his unmarried parents,
Ayckbourn has a specific interest to women characters in his plays. The Mother
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figure for him has an important role in his life and he has a tendency to use female
figures like his own mother. This thesis, with the help of his biography, will be partly
built upon the female figure in Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s mind.
1.2 Biography of Sir Alan Ayckbourn

Sir Alan Ayckbourn is accepted as one of the most popular playwrights.
Besides being a well-known playwright of about 90 plays (77 full length; 20 revues
and children plays), he is appreciated as a director.
Being born on 12 April, 1939 in Hampstead, Ayckbourn had a bit
complicated childhood. His mother was Irene Maud Worley, called as “Lolly” and
she was also a writer and wrote her books under the name of “Mary James”. Horace
Ayckbourn, his father, was a famous violinist, and one of the musicians in London
Symphony Orchestra. His mother and father had no real relationship in fact, they
were not married at all, so Ayckbourn was the son of a love affair without marriage:
“Alan has no real memory of the three of them living together” (Allen, 2001: 11).
“Lolly” was born in 1906 in Basildon, Essex as a daughter of Joseph William
Worley and Lilian Worley. The father was a Shakespearean actor, and the mother
was a male impersonator. Lolly was one of the eight siblings and she seemed
different than the rest. After facing up with one of her siblings saying why she was
different, she understood that Joseph William was not her real father: “She had not,
she said, believed a word of this but had gone to tell her father who had shocked her
by confirming the story.” (Allen, 2001: 4)
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