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Hypertextuality and Polyphony in Tom Stoppard's Stage Plays Heebon Park-Finch A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts Department of Drama: Theatre, Film, Television School of Arts January 2012 (80,335: text only) Abstract This thesis analyses selected works of Tom Stoppard in tenns of Genette's notion of 'hypertextuality' as transtextual relationship and Bakhtin's 'polyphony' of voices and ideas, and examines how the playwright's (re)creative and (re)interpretive rendering of literature, philosophy, aesthetics, science, art, culture and history offers his contemporary perspective on the mUltiplicity of themes and texts in the plays. The thesis identifies the appeal in (re)reading or (re)spectating Stoppard's explicitly palimpsestuous texts, while considering the extent to which receivers of the hypertexts need to be aware of and conversant with the hypotexts in order to fully appreciate Stoppard's work. Following the opening chapter, in which the critical concepts of hypertextuality and polyphony are discussed, chapter 2 considers Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1967) as a transfocalization of Shakespeare's Hamlet, demonstrating polyphony of dualities. Chapter 3 looks at Travesties (1974) as a hypertext which employs plural hypertextualities (pastiche, mixed parody and travesty) and which exhibits polyphony of perceptions on art and politics, using the device of mise-en-abyme. Chapter 4 explores Arcadia (1993) in terms of dramatic transposition of ideas from other disciplines and reactivation ofliterary pastoral traditions. In chapter 5, Indian Ink (1995) is analysed as a post-colonial perspective on the ethics of empire, re-contextualizing works of Anglo-Indian literature and art. Chapter 6 discusses The Coast of Utopia trilogy (2002) in terms of intermodal transmodalization, along with duplicity and polyphony of textual, structural and ideological layers. The concluding chapter questions the effect of Stoppard's hypertextual adaptation and polyphonic re-presentations on audiences and readers of different levels of familiarity with the hypotexts, arguing that the carefully constructed combination of contrasting ideas, paradoxes and dualities in Stoppard's hypertexts offers opportunities for appreciation at various levels of 'knowing', exposing the SUbjectivity of perceptions and celebrating the many­ voicedness of society. Dedication and Acknowledgements I am deeply grateful for the guidance and kind encouragement of my academic supervisor, Professor Martin White, in the forming of this thesis. I also thank Professor White for the opportunity to have a back-stage tour of the Bristol Old Vic. When standing on the stage, looking out at the audience seats, the beauty and magic of the dimly-lit theatre was truly inspirational. My thanks also go to Dr. Katja Krebs and Professor Simon Jones at the Department of Drama: Theatre, Film, Television for their suggestions as part of the upgrade process. Finally, the kind assistance of the staff in the British Library Sound Archive, the National Theatre Archive, the V&A Theatre and Performance Collections and the Bristol University Theatre Collection was invaluable in accessing and viewing archive materials of Tom Stoppard's works. I would like to express my thanks for permission to use stage production and rehearsal photos in this thesis. My husband encouraged me in ways too numerous to mention. The theatre trips with him to Bath, London, Leeds and Stratford-upon-Avon as well as visits to literary and historical sites around the UK added much joy to my study. This thesis could not have happened without his continuous support, understanding and encouragement, and his unlimited (im)patience. I would also like to thank my parents for everything they have done for their first daughter. Finally, I am indebted to Sir Tom Stoppard for his originality of mind and for writing plays that have filled my days with the love oflearning. I was impressed by his generosity when talking to him briefly in person and would like to express my gratitude to him for having given me something to do for the rest of my life. Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Overview 1.2 Notions ofhypertextuality and polyphony: Genette and Bakhtin 8 1.3 Characteristics and qualities of Stoppard's work 15 1.4 Stoppard's creation ofhypertexts and multiple-voices 22 1.5 Conclusion 25 Chapter 2 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Two Sides of a Coin 2.1 Context 29 2.2 Overview 35 2.3 Metadramatic transfocalization: textual transformations from Hamlet 44 2.3.1 Transfocalization and the mise-en-scene 44 2.3.2 Hypo to hyper: levels of trans focalization 45 2.3.3 Hypertextual characterization 48 2.3.4 Metadramatic devices and the role of the Player 52 2.3.5 Two characters in search of and waiting for Hamlet 55 2.4 Polyphony of dualities: 'two sides of the same coin' 58 2.5 Conclusion 60 Chapter 3 Travesties: The Importance of Being 3.1 Context 64 3.2 Overview 74 3.3 Plural hypertextualities: pastiche, mixed parody, travesty 79 3.4 Polyphony of perceptions on art and politics 90 3.5 The foregrounding device of mise-en-abyme 93 3.6 Conclusion 100 Chapter 4 Arcadia: Order out of Chaos 4.1 Context 103 4.2 Overview 113 4.3 Playful contamination of hypo texts 119 4.3.1 Dramatic transposition of scientific discourse 120 4.3.1.1 Newtonian mechanics 121 4.3.1.2 Entropy and the arrow of time 124 4.3.1.3 Quantum mechanics: relativity and uncertainty 127 4.3 .1.4 Chaos theory 128 4.3.1.5 Linking past and present: Fermat's last theorem l31 4.3.2 Generic reactivation of pastoral literature l32 4.3.2.1 Arcadia and its use in pastoral literature and art l33 4.3.2.2 Byron and other literary al\usions l37 4.3.3 Interweaving hypotexts l38 4.4 Polyphony of dualities 140 4.5 Implications 147 4.6 Conclusion: Et in Arcadia Ego! 149 Chapter 5 Indian Ink: A Proper Country 5.1 Context 152 5.2 Overview 160 5.3 Structure 163 5.3.1 Doubling of characters, time lines and locations 163 5.3.2 The function of Pike: bridging and representing dualities 167 5.4 Hypertextuality: the use of Anglo-Indian literature and art 170 5.5 Polyphony of perceptions: the key image and the key moment 176 5.6 Conclusion 182 Chapter 6 The Coast of Utopia: 'Who's Got the Map?' 6.1 Context 184 6.2 Overview 194 6.3 Hypertextuality: transposition from the narrative to the dramatic 203 6.3.1 lntermodal transposition 203 6.3.2 Characters, places and events from source texts 205 6.3.3 Further dramatic devices 215 6.3.3.1 Letters and images 215 6.3.3.2 Cyclical structure and manipulation of time 220 6.4 Polyphony of debates, polyphony of voices 224 6.4.1 Debates and voices 226 6.4.1.1 Debates found only in Voyage 231 6.4.1.2 Debates found only in Shipwreck and Salvage 236 6.4.1.3 Debate found only in Salvage 238 6.4.1.4 Debates found throughout Utopia 242 6.5 Conclusion 246 Chapter 7 Conclusion: The (Re)Creative Process 252 Works Cited 261 List of Tables and Illustrations Figure 1. Tom Stoppard in rehearsal for The Invention of Love (1997) 21 (photographer John Haynes). Figure 2. The Real Inspector Hound (1985) Eleanor Bron as Lady Cynthia 23 Muldoon and Ian McKell en as Inspector Hound (photo John Haynes). Figure 3. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1995) Simon Russell Beale and 38 Adrian Scarborough (photographer Robert Workman). Figure 4. The Fair Captive (1931) Rene Magritte, oil on canvas, Hogarth Galleries, 42 Sydney. Figure 5. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1995) Adrian Scarborough, 52 Callum Dixon, Alan Howard (photographer Robert Workman). Figure 6. Drawing Hands (1948) M.C. Escher, lithograph, M.C. Escher 95 Foundation, Baarn, The Netherlands. Figure 7. Travesties (1976) Bristol Old Vic Company. James Joyce (Miles 97 Anderson), Tristan Tzara (David Yelland) and Lenin (Trevor Matin). Photographer Derek Balmer. Figure 8. Arcadia (1993) Bernard Nightingale (Bill Nighy) and Hanah Jarvis 123 (Felicity Kendal). Photographer Richard Mildenhall. Figure 9. Et in Arcadia Ego (1629-1630; 1637-1638) Nicholas Poussin, oil on 136 canvas, Chatsworth House, Derbyshire, England; Musee du Louvre, Paris.