Sacred play: Parable, morality, myth. W. H. Auden as dramatist.
Item
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Title
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Sacred play: Parable, morality, myth. W. H. Auden as dramatist.
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Identifier
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AAI3127852
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identifier
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3127852
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Creator
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Bolus, Michael Peter.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Marvin Carlson
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Date
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2004
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater | Literature, English
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Abstract
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The submitted dissertation is an attempt to locate, explicate, and analyze three general characteristics which are consistently and manifestly present in the plays and libretti of W. H. Auden: (1) a peculiar, idiosyncratic form of parable born from, but not restricted to, political didacticism. In addition to examining the plays' specific utilitarian aims, the study discusses how Auden's various parables and allegorized abstractions are heavily informed by a variety of Classical and Medieval antecedents as well as by many contemporaneous dramatic forms including, most notably, Brecht's Epic Theatre. (2) an unbashed espousal of a Christian-informed morality in theatrical and dramaturgical terms often inspired by Anglo-Catholic liturgy and sacramental ritual. Despite Auden's appreciation of Classical mythology---which he understood as a large scale imitation of fixed, timeless, universal truths regarding man's inability to determine his own fate---we find in his plays and libretti the decidedly Christian assertion that man's destiny is governed by his own choices and subsequent actions which issue from a reasoned morality. Furthermore, his preoccupation with the formal trappings of Christian liturgical worship lent his drama the unmistakable air of sacramental ritual, and led to his deepening interest in opera as the supreme form of dramatic expression. (3) a strong penchant for archetypal myth which illustrates a variety of timeless and universal themes. Through detailed analysis of specific plays and libretti, the study explains how Auden's notion of archetypal myth was a vital and omnipresent component in his drama throughout his career, and how his ultimate acceptance of myth as his primary mode of dramatic expression led naturally to a profound interest in opera.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
