Cycnos | Numéros | Volume 18.1 - Le théâtre britannique au tournant du millénaire

Résumé :

Many of the most interesting plays of the 1970s in Britain dealt with overtly political subjects in a period which saw dwindling confidence in the Labour Party’s capacity to implement radical reform. It is therefore plausible that playwrights have also responded in their work to the transformation of British society brought about by Margaret Thatcher and successive British governments. This paper looks at plays by four new dramatists (Jim Cartwright, Judy Upton, Sarah Kane and David Greig) from 1986–1996 to see what themes are treated and, more importantly, how these themes are handled on the stage. Despite differences of emphasis and dramatic technique, a picture of an increasingly divided Britain emerges with little hope of change for society’s losers. The hopelessness seems to be reinforced by the fact that, unlike the plays of the 70s, which dealt primarily with public issues, these works show there is no escape from the cycle of violence and humiliation in the private sphere either.

Date de publication : 2008-09-18