The Changing Language of Modern English Drama 1945–2005 PDF
Preview The Changing Language of Modern English Drama 1945–2005
The Changing Language of Modern English Drama 1945–2005 Kate Dorney The Changing Language of Modern English Drama 1945–2005 This page intentionally left blank The Changing Language of Modern English Drama 1945–2005 Kate Dorney Victoria&AlbertMuseum,London,UK ©KatharineDorney2009 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2009 978-0-230-01329-2 Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission. Noportionofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copiedortransmitted savewithwrittenpermissionorinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,orunderthetermsofanylicence permittinglimitedcopyingissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency, SaffronHouse,6-10KirbyStreet,LondonEC1N8TS. Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublication maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages. Theauthorhasassertedherrighttobeidentified astheauthorofthisworkinaccordancewiththeCopyright, DesignsandPatentsAct1988. Firstpublished2009by PALGRAVEMACMILLAN PalgraveMacmillanintheUKisanimprintofMacmillanPublishersLimited, registeredinEngland,companynumber785998,ofHoundmills,Basingstoke, HampshireRG216XS. PalgraveMacmillanintheUSisadivisionofStMartin’sPressLLC, 175FifthAvenue,NewYork,NY10010. PalgraveMacmillanistheglobalacademicimprintoftheabovecompanies andhascompaniesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld. Palgrave®andMacmillan®areregisteredtrademarksintheUnitedStates, theUnitedKingdom,Europeandothercountries. ISBN 978-1-349-28460-3 ISBN 978-0-230-24521-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230245211 Thisbookisprintedonpapersuitableforrecyclingandmadefromfully managedandsustainedforestsources.Logging,pulpingandmanufacturing processesareexpectedtoconformtotheenvironmentalregulationsofthe countryoforigin. AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. AcatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheLibraryofCongress. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 For Richard and Frances This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgements x Introduction 1 ‘Mindinglanguage/mindingaboutlanguage’ 2 Thecastandthestructure 6 Theproblematicnatureofdramaticspeech(i) 7 Studyingthelanguageofdrama:Abriefhistory 10 1 Language,CommunicationandIdeology 20 The‘fixedcode’fallacy 21 Theideologicalimplicationsofthe‘fixedcode’ 23 Standardlanguage,ideologyandhegemony 26 The‘greatgrammarcrusade’ 28 Collapsingdefinitions:Standards,writtenandspoken formsandarticulacy 31 Speaking‘properly’ 36 Conclusion:Thefetishisationofcommunication 42 2 FetishisingCommunicationonStage 46 Foregroundingthenon-standardinthereception ofdrama 47 Performativity,performativesandcliché 53 Theproblematicnatureofdramaticspeech(ii) 60 Communicationbreakdownonstage:Can’t,orwon’t, communicate? 66 Metatheatrical,metalinguisticdiscourses 68 Conclusion 71 3 1945–1955:The‘DissociationofSensibility’ and‘theJewelledEpigram’ 72 Thehistoricalcontext 72 Thelinguisticcontext 82 Thetheatricalcontext 87 Styleoversubstance–(mis)representationsofpre-war drama 89 Coward’scriticalfortunes 91 vii viii Contents ‘Thejewelledepigram’ 95 Cowardatplaywithlanguage 98 Rattigan’sstiffupperlip 102 4 1956–1964:MoribundandVital;DemoticandEpic 106 Historicalcontext 106 Theatricalcontext 109 Thelanguageoflife:Thenewleftandthenewwave 111 Communityandcommunication 113 Theatreworkshop:Revoltingcockneys 115 Like-lifeandlife-like 122 ‘Anti-theatricaltheatre’ 125 ‘Nothingtoexpress,nopowertoexpress,nodesireto express’–Theanti-vitalTheatreoftheAbsurd 126 The‘Other’1956–TheBerlinerEnsemblevisitLondon 130 5 1964–1975:RevolutionOnandOffStage 135 Historicalcontext 135 Linguisticcontext 137 Theatricalcontext 141 Drawnfromlife:BondandOrton 146 Regionalvoices 154 Societyunderscrutiny 158 6 1976–1989:StagingtheNation 165 Historicalcontext 165 Theatricalcontext 166 Stagingthestateofthenation:Languageandthe publicsphere 168 The1980s:Newwords;newworldorder 175 Thelanguageofcommerce:Revengers’Comediesand SeriousMoney 176 ‘Community’:TheArborandRoad 185 Thelanguageoflearning:EducatingRita 191 7 1990–2000:TalkIsCheap 196 Thehistoricalcontext:‘CoolBritannia’? 198 Thelinguisticcontext 200 FCUKrulesok? 201 Thetheatricalcontext 202 Anaside:Politenesstheoryandin-yer-facetheatre 204 Talkingintongues:Pentecost 207 Contents ix Thetalkingcure:ShoppingandFucking andSome ExplicitPolaroids 211 Streettalk:Liftoff andYardGal 215 Coda:Lifelike-esesince2000 222 Languagemindingandthemillennium 222 Verbatimtheatre 223 Notes 226 Bibliography 236 Index 248
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