| Sir Tom Stoppard, the early plays.9.
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| | Travesties are structured around the plot
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| TravestiesSir Tom Stoppard's play
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| | of The Importance of Being Earnest.The
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| Travesties (1974) might be seen as a
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| | play takes its title from the fact that
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| return to the problems he dealt with
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| | Carr's memory tends to oversimplify the
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| right at the beginning of his career in A
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| | characters he met, and hence they are
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| Separate Peace (1960) and Enter a Free
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| | often seen as travesties of themselves.
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| Man (1963). In these plays the 'heroes'
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| | For example in one scene the dialogue
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| lived in a world of their own so separate
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| | falls into the form of limericks, and in
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| from the real world that they were unable
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| | another into the form of question and
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| to function in society. In Travesties,
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| | answer, travestying Joyce's techniques in
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| with Dogg's Our Pet (1971) as a stepping
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| | Ulysses. The point of this is that while
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| stone, this simple opposition between the
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| | Joyce, Tzara and Lenin are each 'living
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| individual and the rest of the world is
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| | in their own world', asserting that their
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| scrapped in favour of a philosophical
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| | view of reality is more valid than the
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| standpoint which asserts that, to an
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| | others, the whole picture presented to
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| extent, every individual lives in a world
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| | the audience is itself only Carr's view
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| of his own.A 'real world', separate from
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| | of reality.For the first few minutes of
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| our perception and interpretation of it
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| | the play not a single sentence of
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| may or may not exist. But the term
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| | comprehensible English is spoken. Tzara
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| applies to what seem to be areas of
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| | is picking words from a hat, Lenin is
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| common experience, about which we seem to
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| | speaking Russian, and Joyce is speaking
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| be able to communicate in a more or less
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| | the language of Ulysses. To the audience
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| common language.Travesties is ostensibly
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| | it is incomprehensible nonsense, until
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| concerned with artists, and their
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| | Henry Carr arrives on stage to begin his
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| relationship with the world they live in.
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| | narrative. The implication suggested by
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| As we saw in A Separate Peace, and Enter
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| | this dramatic structure is that
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| a Free Man (in which being an inventor
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| | 'objective reality' is incomprehensible
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| can be equated with being an artist), it
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| | without somebody there to comprehend it;
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| is one of Stoppard's basic assumptions
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| | and the person comprehending reality will
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| that the artist creates a world of his
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| | distort it according to the limitations
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| own, and, to an extent, lives in it as an
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| | on his ability to perceive, and the
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| alternative to the real world. In
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| | personal interpretation he puts upon what
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| Travesties we have two artists, Tristan
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| | he perceives. The logical implication of
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| Tzara and James Joyce, with very
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| | this is that we all live in our own
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| different approaches to their lives and
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| | private reality. We are our own
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| their art. For Tzara, the Dadaist, art
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| | narrators, and we distort reality just as
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| is a revolutionary act in itself,
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| | Henry Carr does. And our attempts to
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| breaking down our usual assumptions about
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| | re-create or assert our view of reality
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| the world, and Art.'Tzara (To Joyce):
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| | will be more or less a travesty of
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| You've turned literature into a religion
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| | objective reality.It is interesting that
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| and it's as dead as all the rest. It's an
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| | his final statement on this theme rests
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| overripe corpse and you're cutting fancy
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| | on a concept of 'relativity'; that
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| figures at the wake. It's too late for
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| | 'reality' is relative, depending on the
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| geniuses: Now we need vandals and
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| | observer, in the same way that the fate
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| desecrators, simple minded demolition men
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| | versus free will, and order versus chaos
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| to smash centuries of baroque subtlety,
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| | themes ended with the concept of
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| to bring down the temple, and thus
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| | 'perspective'. They are, fundamentally,
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| finally, to reconcile the shame and the
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| | the same concept, relativity being a more
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| necessity of being an artist!' (p.62.)For
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| | sophisticated development of
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| James Joyce art is justifiable for its
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| | 'perspective'. It is also interesting to
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| own sake, operating on a level above
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| | note the similarity between these
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| political or social revolution.'As an
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| | conclusions and the prevailing scientific
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| artist, naturally I attach no importance
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| | doctrine of the day: Einstein's theory of
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| to the swings and roundabouts of
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| | Relativity.Travesties is a play about the
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| political history.' (p.50)Lenin is a
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| | inescapable subjectivity of all Human
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| third point in the argument, asserting
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| | experience, and hence of any human
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| that art is only valid as an aid to
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| | concept of 'reality'. For Stoppard it
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| political revolution.
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| | seems to mark the end of a line of
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| 'Lenin: Today, literature must become
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| | enquiry which began in 1960 with A
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| party literature. Down with non-partisan
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| | Separate Peace.In this cycle of works
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| literature: Down with literary supermen.
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| | Stoppard is reflecting the climate of
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| Literature must become part of the common
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| | uncertainty which affects us all in this
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| cause of the proletariat, a cog in the
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| | age of relativity.'Dotty: You're probably
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| Social Democratic mechanism.' (p.85)One
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| | still shaking from the
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| could pursue the arguments about the
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| | four-hundred-year-old news that the sun
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| relationship between art and society
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| | doesn't go round youGeorge: We are all
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| through the play; this is one level on
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| | still shaking. Copernicus cracked our
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| which the play functions. But more
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| | confidence, and Einstein smashed it for
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| importantly we are given an overview of
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| | if one can no longer believe that a
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| the whole problem, and here Stoppard uses
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| | twelve-inch ruler is always a foot long,
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| the stage to dramatise a concept, by the
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| | how can one be sure of relatively less
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| fact that we are seeing the events of the
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| | certain propositions, such as that God
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| play through the distorting medium of
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| | made the Heaven and the Earth.'
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| Henry Carr's memory.We are introduced to
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| | (Jumpers)Read the full version of this
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| this dimension of the play by having Carr
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| | essay at:
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| as narrator, and reminded of it by the
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| | Mackean runs the site which features a
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| repeated 'time slips', in which a scene
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| | substantial collection of English
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| is played two or three times, slightly
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| | Literature Resources and Essays, and
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| differently each time as Carr's memory
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| | where his sites on Books Made Into
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| plays tricks on him. The egocentric
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| | Movies, and Short Story Writing can also
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| Carr's best memory of the war years in
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| | be found. He is the editor of The
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| Zurich is that he played a leading role
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| | Essentials of Literature in English
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| in Joyce's production of The Importance
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| | post-1914, published by Hodder Arnold.
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| of Being Earnest. Thus the events of
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|