View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OTHES DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „Set in supermodernity – Non-places in contemporary drama” Verfasserin Mag. Ursula Rathensteiner angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag.phil.) Wien, iim Juli 2012 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Diplomstudium Anglistik und Amerikanistik UniStG Betreuer: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rudolf Weiss Acknowledgements This thesis is inspired by my interest in, maybe even passion for, contemporary drama. It is an interest that has been woken during my studies by committed professors of the English department at the University of Vienna, who introduced this rather lively and multifaceted literary – in a broad sense – field to me. The second major inspiration is connected to the theoretical basis for this thesis. How important and fascinating spatial concerns are for the analysis of fictional texts, yet not exclusively for imagined worlds, I also learned at the university, which I am quite thankful for. These spatial theories feel like a significant issue, as place and its construction seem to shape the way a fictional cosmos as well as our real world are perceived. I am especially grateful for the support of my supervisor, Ao. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rudolf Weiss, who encouraged me to choose this advanced, ambitious and, as I felt, slightly risky topic for my thesis in the first place. Without his recommendations regarding the primary texts, the selection of works would not be as varied and representative of contemporary drama. Professor Weiss also helped me to shape my thoughts and structure the results of my research, gave me advice and reassured me of the value of my arguments, when I had doubts. I owe a special thanks to my family as well, who put up with my ‘creative chaos’ during my thesis work and supported me. 1 2 Table of contents Seite 1. Introduction 1.1. Depicting the contemporary world: non-places and their narrative 9 Potential 1.2. Selection of texts 12 1.3. Methods and outline 15 2. Supermodernity – a period of overabundance and obsessions 18 3. Marc Augé and his concept of non-places (as a tool of analysis) 22 3.1. Historical overview: origin and antecedents 3.1.1. Non-places: Genesis of the concept 22 3.1.2. The merits and limitations of Augé’s predecessors 23 3.2. Into the core of non-place – definition, characteristics and Implications 3.2.1. The nature of non-places – an attempt at a definition 28 3.2.2. Contract of solitary familiarity or the feeling of home in a 29 strange (non-)place 3.2.3. The silent regulations and the paradox of non-places 32 3.3. Back to the beginning - non-places as a tool of analysis 33 4. Non-places of connection, circulation and celerity 35 4.1. Four-wheeled vehicles 4.1.1. A look in the rear-view mirror: cars in the paratext 36 4.1.2. Behind the steering wheel – driving in LaBute’s plays 43 4.1.3. Full throttle – cars as vehicles for gender identity 45 4.1.4. Battlefields, confessionals and lover’s lanes – 49 from non-place to place 4.1.5. Driving in circles – mobility versus standstill 53 4.2. Mass transport in the underground 4.2.1. T5 and the London Tube – an unrevealing paratext 56 3 4.2.2. T5 on the underground system and being a ‘robot’ 57 on the London Tube 4.2 3. The protagonist’s attempt to reclaim her identity 61 4.3. Airtravel 4.3.1. Stephens’ paratextual homage to Heathrow Airport 63 4.3.2. Background noises or the airport as a constant presence 66 4.3.3. Non-places as a vague chance – gateways to a new beginning 71 4.3.4. (Ab)using space for a non-place or the idea of ‘erasing 73 an entire village’ 5. Non-places of consumer culture 75 5.1. Entertainment and consumer temples 5.1.1. Paratextual clues to near and hollow amusements 76 5.1.2. Paratext part two: adoption craze as creative inspiration 77 5.1.3. Furnishing and enlivening the non-places of consumerism 78 5.1.4. Discussing the roles in the transaction and commercial 82 illusions in Closer 5.1.5. Blurring the textual boundaries in Closer 88 5.1.6. Reluctance to perform one’s role – repurposing and comic relief 89 5.1.7. Standard transactions, shocking deals 90 5.2. Holiday resorts or exotic entertainment 5.2.1. Sugar Mummies in paradise? – The other trade as a 94 non-place in (mass) tourism 5.2.2. Plunging into the textual water – a picture-perfect 97 summer holiday in paradise 5.2.3. The other trade, part one – the gigolos’ job description: sweet 99 talking and dangerous services 5.2.4. The other trade, part two – women looking for company 102 and fun in the sand 5.2.5. The other trade, part three – colonialism revisited: 104 racial stereotypes as part of the deal 5.2.6. Breaking from the non-place – a rocky road to an 107 individual identity 4 6. Illusions of proximity – non-places of mass communication and 113 Diffusion 6.1. Broadcast sounds 6.1.1. An ode to meaningful music – paratextual notes 114 6.1.2. A literary chorus – musicality and complexity through 116 sounds and references 6.2. Broadcast sounds and pictures 6.2.1. The TV set as a piece of (home) furniture or the noisy intrusion 120 of non-place 6.2.2. A manual for the small screen – assets and dangers of 122 the non-place of TV 6.3. Communication and the WWW 6.3.1. A (small) paratextual window into the virtual world – 125 questioning closeness 6.3.2. Technical toys as part of the supermodern furnishings 126 6.3.3. Roles and authenticity 128 6.4. Beyond the non-places of virtual worlds 6.4.1. Hidden layers of meaning – the protagonists’ 133 background stories 6.4.2. Challenging the idea of a egalitarian and connecting medium 135 in Closer 6.5. Paratextual retrospective or the difficulties of staging 136 virtual reality 7. Non-places in drama 138 145 Bibliography Index 153 Appendix 157 Abstract (German) 159 Curriculum Vitae 163 5 6 Table of Figures - Figure 1: Page 157 “Cover image of LaBute, Neil. The Distance from here. Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press, 2003.” Source: http://www.broadwayplaypubl.com/distance%20from%20here.htm. (12Juine 2012) - Figure 2: Page 157 “Cover image of LaBute, Neil. autobahn: a short-play cycle. New York: Faber & Faber, 2005.” Source: http://jacketupload.macmillanusa.com/jackets/high_res/jpgs/9780571211104.jpg. (20 June 2012) - Figure3: Page 158 “Cover image of Stephens, Simon. Wastwater and T5. London: Methuen Drama, 2011.” Source: http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsS/stephens-simon.html. (12June 2012) - Figure 4: Page 158 “Cover image of Gupta, Tanika. Sugar Mummies. London: Oberon, 2006.” Source: http://oberonbooks.com/modern-plays/sugar-mummies.(12 June 2012) 7 8 1. Introduction 1.1. Depicting the contemporary world: non-places and their narrative potential Sitting in front of the computer screen, working on a thesis on a somewhat strange creature called ‘supermodernity’ and its portrayal in drama, a striking thought shapes itself: The parallel to one scene in Patrick Marber’s play Closer, which is to be one of the key primary texts, is undeniable. The male protagonists of that piece, Dan and Larry, each are seated in front of a computer as well (Marber, Closer 25), probably in a similar position, hands on the keyboard, eyes fixed on the screen. They are immersed in a certain, albeit extraordinary place that appears, plainly put, rather placeless, namely the virtual world of instant technology and the World Wide Web. This locale without a concrete location can be read as an epitome of what Marc Augé termed ‘non-place’. In the text, Dan and Larry employ the internet for their private entertainment, and, slightly understated, flirting online. Despite the dissimilar motivations for usage, the connection between the diegetic world of the play and the ‘real’ world is still there. This analogy is the first clue to what the titular concepts of this thesis – ‘supermodernity’ and ‘non-place’ – actually mean. They are both linked to our surroundings, our everyday experiences. They are rooted in the contemporary age and are part of daily life, of which “[a]n ever-increasing proportion [...] is spent in supermarkets, airports and hotels, on motorways or in front of TVs, computers and cash machines.”(Augé blurb). In other words, this thesis focuses on plays that are concerned with contemporary life and portray it by means of selecting such “curious spaces which are both everywhere and nowhere [...] [and] their far-reaching effects on public and private experience” (Patrick Wright quoted on Augé blurb) as key elements of the settings. A keen interest in the contemporary age as defined by extraordinary venues dominated by the quality of non-place – ‘supermodernity – and its fictional treatment in drama, is the outset of this thesis. Revisiting Marc Augé in order to reach firm theoretical ground may be the motto of the first step. As far as the selection of primary texts is concerned, the plan appears as simple and straightforward. The main criterion for choosing particular pieces is evident: there has to be at least one scene in the play that is set in, or entirely deals with, one particular, typical non-place. This minimum requirement created a major problem, however, which raises an actually significant issue. Fuelled by the knowledge that there are innumerable fictional 9 accounts of locales like airports, holiday resorts, cars, shopping malls and the virtual world, an initial fear was to find too many plays to include into the thesis.