The Real Inspector Hound Presentation. Trisha R., Lisa S., Jonathan T., Ethan T., and Fox V.

Transcription

1 The Real Inspector Hound Presentation Trisha R., Lisa S., Jonathan T., Ethan T., and Fox V.

2 Author s Choices

3 This choice directs the flow of emotions and intentions in a play where the character s motivations are otherwise Game Motif In the play two different games are played, tennis and cards The games are used to quite literally represent conflict between characters In the first game, tennis, Felicity and Cynthia are fighting over the affections of Simon Later, his trickery revealed and Magnus in the mix, the characters are all playing against Simon, shown by his winning both hands

4 Telephone Motif The telephone and the associated call is a present factor throughout the play The telephone is representative of uncertainty and unease, with characters never knowing who is on the other line or what they want However, while the telephone is a source of unease, its lack of presence later on also creates problems By cutting the line, the characters are effectively cut off from the outside world In this way the telephone is used to create tension both through its presence and absence

5 Plotline Mise en abyme- French term for a story within a story Technique wherein a subject contains a smaller copy of itself, which seems to recur infinitely Sub-texts mirroring each other to express things to the characters Ex: Moon s muddled version of reality and Birdboot s affairs with the two actresses Used in deconstructionism as a model for how language never exactly reaches the foundation of reality

6 Genre The play belongs a genre often called the Theatre of the Absurd This genre is known to express the belief of the meaninglessness of human existence. Characteristics of this genre are broad comedy mixed with tragic images, characters in bad situations forced into repetitive and meaningless actions, cliche dialogues, and cyclical plots. Stoppard s play contains many of these characteristics about a series of murders with many repeating scenes and satirical and cliche dialogue. Parody of The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie

7 Literary Devices Repetition - Several scenes within the play are repeated exactly; however with different actors as the characters. By repeating scenes, it makes the reader feel that no progress towards the end has been made Even the actions that happen are the same Its interesting to see that Moon and Birdboot s narratives match up with the characters in the play

8 Story Elements Imagery - Within the stage directions gives the reader or actors information on the mood of the scenes and feeling towards the given situation. Stage directions including the fog at Muldoon Manor and others that direct the experience of the play The comedic view of Inspector Hound poking fun at his authority and intelligence as the stereotypical detective

9 Story Elements Justice - Most of the characters in the play want to stop the murderer in the play, and by the end we realize that the inspector hound was the murderer and that the real inspector was hidden as Magnus to catch the real killer. Although, Magnus is played by Puckeridge, who in the parlor mystery kills Higgs, Moon, and Birdboot to become the top critic. It seems that we never reach a point where all good overrides all of the bad actions committed; by the end, Puckeridge is still on the loose

10 Critical Lenses

11 Marxism Literary criticism based on socialist and dialectic theories that aims to assess the political aspects of a literary work, and thus determine whether its social content or its literary form are progressive. Analysis of class constructs demonstrated in a literary work Examples: Mrs. Drudge Interactions with guests Setting up of the card table Informing Lady Muldoon of Simon s arrival

12 Marxism-Themes Power dynamics between characters with false identities influence the realities of other characters and create an illusion for the reader. One must occasionally lie or take on a new identity in order to integrate into a higher social class.

13 Deconstructionism Introduced by French Philosopher Jaques Derrida and literary critic Paul de Man A critical theory that seeks to deconstruct the ideological biases (gender, racial, economic, political, cultural) and traditional assumptions of a literary work Relationship between text and meaning Nothing is whole and everything includes contradictions and inconsistencies Use what something is not to explain what it actually is Words have meaning only because of contrast between other with other words

14 Destructionism Examples Binary Pair of polar opposites (No two things truly have nothing in common) Birdboot and Moon versus the characters of the internal play Differance Individual actions/words do not convey meaning i.e; house Birdboot and Moon s discussion lacks qualifiers Play Meaning is never stable. Concepts behind ideas/words are always changing.

15 Deconstructionism-Themes How we determine meaning is entirely dependent upon context and personal experiences. If the meaning behind a word or action is not clearly stated, then ambiguity derives from individual interpretations.

16 Reader Response A literary theory that focuses on the reader (or the audience) and their experience of a literary work How their experience adds meaning to the text Examples: Moon is not considered Higgs s killer until Magnus reveals it to the audience Is this factual given the audience s knowledge of the situation? Moon s soliloquies In reality, Puckeridge was the one who killed Higgs

17 Reader Response- Themes The way in which we perceive morality is limited by our own experiences and knowledge of the world. People use proper context to clarify their own decisions and to justify themselves. Creates fallacies within the play

18 Video Clips The Real Inspector Hound Portland Community College Spring 2014 Play 17:49-18:00 46:35-50:55 1:06:33-1:09:21

19 Discussion Questions How does the involvement of Birdboot and Moon in the play within The Real Inspector Hound affect the theme of reality and illusion? The role and symbolism of the phone Complexity and confusion created How does the cyclical repetitiveness of the events contribute to the meaning created by the play s genre? Theatre of the absurd Identical recurring events In what ways is the closing scene of The Real Inspector Hound similar and