Biography Cast in Irony: Caveats, Stylization, and Indeterminacy in the Biographical History Plays of Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, Written by Christopher M
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BIOGRAPHY CAST IN IRONY: CAVEATS, STYLIZATION, AND INDETERMINACY IN THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY PLAYS OF TOM STOPPARD AND MICHAEL FRAYN by CHRISTOPHER M. SHONKA B.A. Creighton University, 1997 M.F.A. Temple University, 2000 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Theatre 2010 This thesis entitled: Biography Cast in Irony: Caveats, Stylization, and Indeterminacy in the Biographical History Plays of Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn, written by Christopher M. Shonka, has been approved for the Department of Theatre Dr. Merrill Lessley Dr. James Symons Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. iii Shonka, Christopher M. (Ph.D. Theatre) Biography Cast in Irony: Caveats, Stylization, and Indeterminacy in the Biographical History Plays of Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn Thesis directed by Professor Merrill J. Lessley; Professor James Symons, second reader Abstract This study examines Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn‘s incorporation of epistemological themes related to the limits of historical knowledge within their recent biography-based plays. The primary works that are analyzed are Stoppard‘s The Invention of Love (1997) and The Coast of Utopia trilogy (2002), and Frayn‘s Copenhagen (1998), Democracy (2003), and Afterlife (2008). In these plays, caveats, or warnings, that illustrate sources of historical indeterminacy are combined with theatrical stylizations that overtly suggest the authors‘ processes of interpretation and revisionism through an ironic distancing. These processes are analyzed and then placed in a broader context by comparing them with the general trends in historical representation found in deconstructionist and postmodernist plays by British authors in order to investigate how Stoppard and Frayn‘s recent biography-based plays might resemble a continued questioning of biographical approaches similar to those found in new historicism and the study of historiography. Chapter 1 details the context and parameters of this study, the analytical tools that are used, and how it is situated within the current literature. In chapters 2 and 3 the forms of Stoppard and Frayn‘s recent biographical plays are examined along with their use of stylization, their expressed philosophies about historical representation, and analyses from other scholars. These analyses are contextualized with an examination of the presence of themes related to epistemology and historical indeterminacy in their other works. Chapter 4 compares Stoppard iv and Frayn‘s biography-based works and then places their general similarities in the context of the representative strategies found in deconstructionist and postmodern British history plays, observing that they more closely resemble deconstruction because, while they emphasize provisionality and historical indeterminacy through their play‘s aesthetics, they do not go so far as to universally reduce their interpretations and the communication of their ideas to contingencies. Chapter 5 concludes this study with final observations about the nature of biographical representation and the potential benefits of Stoppard and Frayn‘s strategies. Dedication To Merrill Lessley for his acumen, patient direction, and invaluable contributions as an advisor. This study could not have been created without the encouragement I received to pursue the path that most interested me. To James Symons for his wonderful insight and guidance as second reader: enhancing this study with first rate (and terrifically difficult) questions. To my family and friends for their continued encouragement while I worked on this project. To my wife, Nicole, for her daily patience with a distracted husband, brilliant mind for sharing ideas, frequent laughter, unique delight in irony, and unwavering support throughout this pursuit. *Biographically speaking, the bulk of this dissertation was completed in Houston, Texas in the company of two sleeping dogs and at an average room temperature of 74 degrees Fahrenheit. The view from the window was mostly sunny and green. The passing traffic minimal. The mailman‘s deliveries irregular. And, in general, the events of the days a little too quiet. vi Contents Chapter 1. An Introduction to this Inquiry a. Central Terms .............................................................................................................3 b. Stoppard and Frayn as Contemporaries ....................................................................5 c. New Historicism, The Study of Historiography, Deconstruction, and Postmodernism ...................................................................................................13 d. In the Context of Current Literature .........................................................................22 e. Methodology .............................................................................................................26 Chapter 2. Tom Stoppard‘s Biographical History Plays I. Tom Stoppard: Biographee, Biography, and Biographers ................................................28 II. Travesties: A Predecessor in Pastiche ...............................................................................42 a. Form and Stylization .................................................................................................44 b. Criticism from Other Scholars ..................................................................................50 c. Conclusions ...............................................................................................................52 III. The Invention of Love: Impressionist Biography and the Fictional Biographer ..........................................................................................................53 a. Form..........................................................................................................................54 b. Stylization..................................................................................................................58 c. How the Play Presents History .................................................................................66 d. Stoppard’s Statements on the Use of History ...........................................................69 e. Criticism from Other Scholars ..................................................................................70 f. Conclusions ...............................................................................................................71 IV. Voyage: History as Unforeseen Design and Perspective ..................................................72 a. The General Form of the Coast of Utopia Trilogy ...................................................74 b. Voyage: Form ...........................................................................................................79 c. Voyage: Stylization ...................................................................................................83 d. How Voyage Presents History ..................................................................................86 e. Voyage Conclusions ..................................................................................................88 V. Shipwreck: The Chaos of History Framed in Limited Comprehension ............................89 a. Form..........................................................................................................................90 b. Stylization..................................................................................................................92 c. How Shipwreck Presents History .............................................................................98 d. Shipwreck Conclusions ...........................................................................................100 VI. Salvage: Dream and Historic Impressions ......................................................................101 a. Form........................................................................................................................102 b. Stylization................................................................................................................104 c. How Salvage Presents History ...............................................................................110 d. Salvage: Conclusions ..............................................................................................112 e. Stoppard’s Statements on the Use of History in The Coast of Utopia Trilogy ...............................................................................113 f. The Coast of Utopia: Criticism from Other Scholars .............................................116 g. The Coast of Utopia: Conclusions ..........................................................................117 vii VII. Stoppard Chapter Conclusions: Caveats and Impressionism ..........................................119 Chapter 3. Michael Frayn‘s Biographical History Plays I. Michael Frayn: Epistemology, Ontology, Perspective, and Biography ..........................122 II. Balmoral: Barely Biographical .......................................................................................136 III. Copenhagen: Biographical Polyphony ............................................................................139 a. Form .........................................................................................................................141