Stylistic Characteristics of … [Pause] … Pinter’s Dialogue
Keywords:
English drama, Pinter, Harold, theatre of the absurd, dramatic dialogue, literary styleAbstract
The plays by Harold Pinter are characterized by distinctive style known as “Pinteresque” by both literary theory and general usage. It is characterized by certain elements common with the theatre of the absurd, such as blurred identities, unclear references regarding space and time, the presence of unknown threats, incoherent and meaningless dialogue; however, similarly to some other representatives of this tradition, Pinter adds a number of unique stylistic features. A prominent one among these is realism that leaves the viewer with an impression that the characters from the plays could be encountered in everyday life. This article focuses on the most prominent characteristics of Pinter’s dialogue. – Even though Pinteresque dramatic dialogue shows no considerable difference from the general image of everyday conversation, it does not comply with the traditional function of a dialogue, i.e., it does not convey information. The partners in a dialogue repeat the information given earlier, provide tautological or obvious arguments, do not listen to their conversation partner, talk past each other, evade the answer, etc. In this way, they give rise to the feelings of uneasiness and help create the uncomfortable atmosphere. Pinter keeps his characters as well as the viewers deliberately in ignorance, revealing just enough information to make them aware of the uncertainty. By withholding the essential information, Pinter achieves the intended effects like creating dramatic tension, building up false expectations, raising awareness of the existence of indeterminable threat etc. The victims are unaware of the origins of this threat, as well as when and in what form it will appear, so they are unable to resist it. Pinter occasionally increases this tension with comic elements thus creating a new subgenre of drama, i.e., the comedy of menace. One of the most prominent features of Pinter’s dialogue are also pauses and silences, which as an independent and semantically undefined phenomenon allow wide interpretive possibilities. The Pinter dialogue is inspired by the naturally occurring conversation and gives the impression of randomness; nevertheless, it is meticulously planned.References
Bakewell, Joan. »In an Empty Bandstand – Harold Pinter in Interview with Joan Bakewell«. Listener 1.32 (1969): 630–631.
Billington, Michael. Harold Pinter. London: Faber and Faber, 2007.
Brown, John Russel. »Gesture and Movement«. Harold Pinter: The Birthday Party, The Caretaker & The Homecoming. Ur. Michael Scott. London: Macmillan, 1989. 133–140.
Burcar, Lilijana. »The New World Order and the Unmasking of the Neo-Colonial Present«. ELOPE 9.1 (2012): 29–40.
– – –. »Disneyjeve priredbe literarnih besedil na presečišču družbenospolnega in neorasističnega diskurza«. Primerjalna književnost 38.1 (2015): 19–45.
Burton, Dierdre. Dialogue and Discourse: A Sociolinguistic Approach to Modern Drama Dialogue and Naturally Occurring Conversation. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1980.
Cole, Olivia. »Cut the Pauses ...Says Pinter«. The Sunday Times. Splet. 11. 2. 2007. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/theatre/article1364686.ece.
Čerče, Danica. »(Ne)prevedljivost pogovornega jezika v delih Johna Steinbecka«. Slavistična revija 60.2 (2012): 185–98.
Esslin, Martin. Pinter the Playwright. London, New York: Methuen, 1982.
Hobson, Harold. »The Screw Turns Again«. Sunday Times, 25. 5. 1958: 11.
Hribar, Darja. Sestavine sloga Harolda Pinterja v slovenskih prevodih: doktorska disertacija. Ljubljana: FF, 1999.
– – –. »Teoretski pogledi na prevajanje dramskih besedil«. Vestnik 36.1–2 (2002): 437–55.
– – –. »Harold Pinter in Slovene Translation«. ELOPE 1.1–2 (2004): 195–208.
Itzin, Catherine in Simon Trussler. »Directing Pinter«. Harold Pinter: The Birthday Party, The Caretaker & The Homecoming. Ur. Michael Scott. London: Macmillan, 1989: 44–61.
Javornik, Marjan. »Pinterjeva inačica«. Delo, 16. 6. 1970: 5.
Jefferson, Gail. »Side Sequences«. Studies in Social Interaction. Ur. David Sudnow. New York: The Free Press, 1972. 294–339.
Keber, Janez. Slovar slovenskih frazemov. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, ZRC SAZU, 2011. Splet. 21. 3. 2016.
Knowles, Ronald. »The ‘Point’ of Laughter«. Harold Pinter: The Birthday Party, The Caretaker & The Homecoming. Ur. Michael Scott. London: Macmillan, 1989: 146–161.
Labov, William. »The Study of Language in Its Social Context«. Studium Generale 23 (1970): 66–84.
Laver, John. »Communicative Functions of Phatic Communion«. The Organisation of Behaviour in Face-to-Face Interaction. Ur. Adam Kendon, Richard M. Harris in Mary Ritchie Key. Haag: Mouton, 1975. 215–238.
Macintyre, Ben. »Last Word: How Pinteresque!« The Times, 9. 1. 2009: 8.
Onič, Tomaž. »Problematika prevajanja komičnega v dramskih besedilih, specifika iger Harolda Pinterja«. Vestnik 37.1–2 (2003): 391–405.
– – –. »Ohranjanje registra v dramskem prevodu«. Vestnik 39.1–2 (2005): 271–281.
– – –. »Translating Recurrences in Pinter’s Plays«. ELOPE 2.1–2 (2005): 293–299.
Pinter, Harold. »Zapis govora: Hamburg 1970«. Theatre Quarterly 1 (1971): 3–4.
– – –. The Caretaker. V Complete Works: Two. New York: Grove, 1977. 14–87.
– – –. Hišnik: delovni videoposnetek predstave. Kranj: Prešernovo gledališče, 1990.
– – –. The Birthday Party. London, Boston: Faber & Faber, 1993.
– – –. »Writing for the Theatre«. Predgovor v Harold Pinter, Plays 1. London: Faber & Faber, 1996. vii–xiv.
– – –. The Room. V Plays 1. London: Faber & Faber, 1996. 83–110.
Pirjevec, Dušan. »Franz Kafka in evropski roman«. Predgovor v Franz Kafka, Grad. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, 1986. 5–65.
Rose, Margaret. »Introductory Essay«. Predgovor v Harold Pinter, The Birthday Party. London, Boston: Faber & Faber, 1993. 1–33.
Quigley, Austin. E. The Pinter Problem. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975.
Schechner, Richard. »Puzzling Pinter«. The Tulane Drama Review 11.2 (1966): 176–184.
Szondi, Peter. Teorija sodobne drame. Ljubljana: Mestno gledališče ljubljansko, 2000.
Thomson, David. »The Idea Is to Intimidate. With Words. And Silence«. The New York Times, 15. 7. 2001: 11 in 23.
Trupej, Janko. »Zaznamovanost slovenskega izrazoslovja za temnopolte«. Slavistična revija 62.4 (2014): 635–45.
Tynan, Kenneth. »An Interview with Harold Pinter«. BBC, 28. 10. 1960.
Vurnik, France. »Malo oddaljena prispodoba«. Gorenjski glas, 2. 10. 1990: 7.
Wardle, Irwing. »Comedy of Menace«. Encore 5 (1958): 28–33.
Williams, Raymond. Drama from Ibsen to Brecht. London: The Hogarth Press, 1996.
Zuljan Kumar, Danila. »Funkcije ponavljanj v govorjenem narečnem diskurzu«. Slavistična revija 55. 1–2 (2007): 315–326.
Zupan, Simon. »Repetition and Translation Shifts«. ELOPE 3.1–2 (2007): 257–268.
– – –. »Epistemic Modality in Translation: Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’«. AAA – Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik 41.1 (2016): 15–34.
– – –. »Recepcija slovenskih prevodov kratkih zgodb Edgarja Allana Poeja v 19. in 20. stoletju«. Primerjalna književnost 38.1 (2015): 121–144.
