EN2112 wk08 mamet

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EN2112 wk08 mamet

• 7 October 2008

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Part I Recap

• Movement from OT to Death to GGR is an arc
  of sorts, moving from easy to hard.
• Lets review all three as characterizations of
  American life play as image
• A play has images IN itbut sometimes the name of
  the play a shorthand idea about how reality is.

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Plays provide images of American Life
characterizations of society

• Our Town
• Death of a Salesman
• Glengarry, Glen Ross

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Is the Willy Charlie Ben scene realistic?

• yes
• either the play is psychologically realistic,
  since we see what (poor) Willy goes through
  psychologically/phenomenologically
• no
• we see a ghost. Most of us cannot really see
  another persons fantasies.
• I call this the Razzles Problem, a kind of
  logical dilemma.
• Solution is simple say what YOU mean by realism
  when you use any such term. Inflect it.

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Dealing with the Dilemma

• we must ask what is realism? or realistic
  compared to what?
• first approach fit according to predetermined
  definition (deductive from general to specific)
• second approach work comparatively from your
  experience and develop a definition or
  distinction (inductive from specific to a
  generalization)

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Deductive approaches to realism

• Use a dictionary of literary terms. Wikipedia in
  a pinch
• realism refers to an historical tradition, a
  fad of sorts associated with an literary movement
  (ONeill, Williams, Miller)
• realism exists as a polemical contrast to
  romanticism its tougher, anti-sentimental
  realistic vs romance/fantasy novel
• WHAT YOU CAN DO study the literary term
  realism and then try to apply to text

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Inductive approaches

• all thought is comparative
• compare works of literature you have read in
  terms of realism
• both Our Town and Death of a Salesman have
  ghosts of a sort, but which play is more
  realistic?
• setting, language, plot Stage Manager
• also you can make comparisons WITHIN a work
  Acts I, II, vs III of Our Town

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Glengarry, Glen Ross

• Compared to Salesman, is GGR a realistic
  play?
• nostalgic? --affirmative? --symbolic?

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• If Glengarry, Glen Ross is the mirror, what
  aspects of life are being reflected? What is
  the vision of humanity that is returned by this
  glass?
• Lets
• pose this question now,
• work through conventional ways analysis,
• read some passages closely, then
• return to this question near class end.