It is widely accepted that memories reconstruct the past: We need individual memories in order to experience biographical continuity. Without the episodic (or autobiographical) memory, it would be impossible for us to link our individual past to ourselves. The strong connexion between memory and the past is a very prominent topic in contempo-rary British fiction and the significance of memory is discussed in many literary works. One of these works is Harold Pinter’s play Old Times.
Together with the plays Landscape and Silence and the sketch Night, these works have often been referred to as ‘memory plays’ because they „focus on the past”. In all these plays, Pinter extensively investigates the possibilities of recreating the past as well as the problematic function of memory.
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Given the fact that even the author himself has difficulties to summarize his works, it is even more difficult for the viewer, especially as Pinter does not write “with an audience in mind” .
Though he is convinced “that what happens in (his) plays could happen anywhere, at any time, in any place, although the events may seem unfamiliar at first glance,” the action in Pinter’s plays is always ambiguous and the plot a framework of contradictions, multilayered statements and silences. So, what is Pinter writing about? He only gives us one clue: It is “not (about) the weasel under the cabinet.
This paper aims to answer the question above. In the following, I will look at the sketch Night first. Then I want to concentrate on the topic of memory in the plays Landscape and Silence. In the main part, I will discuss the significance of memory in Old Times. As we will see, Pinter demonstrates that memory operates on a variety of levels. In all plays, memory is unreliable and can be reshaped according to one’s present needs. It can be a means of comfort and security, as in Night. It can separate people by providing them with the possibility to live in the past and to avoid confrontation in the present, as in Landscape and Silence. In Old Times, the function of memory is clearly the most complex. Here, it is used as a weapon in a battle for positions in which impression man-agement rules the battlefield.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Memory in Night
3. Memory in Landscape
4. Memory in Silence
5. Memory in Old Times
6. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines the complex and problematic function of memory in Harold Pinter's selected works, specifically focusing on how memory is utilized as a reconstructive tool that is often unreliable, subjective, and instrumentalized for power and psychological leverage in interpersonal relationships.
- The reconstructive and often fallible nature of human memory.
- The role of memory in creating comfort, security, or distance between individuals.
- The use of past recollections as a weapon or strategy in power struggles.
- The ambiguity of reality and the blurring of boundaries between truth and fiction.
Excerpt from the Book
5. Memory in Old Times
There are some things one remembers even though they may never have happened. There are things I remember which may never have happened but as I recall them so they take place. (Old Times, p.31f)
So far, we have seen that Pinter is preoccupied with the „notion of past affecting present, and present being in effect past“ and that he describes memory as a (re)construction, which is linked to the way we perceive the present. Dukore points out that “Pinter’s characters either cannot remember, are uncertain of the accuracy of their memory, or recognise that whatever they recall is true mainly for the present, however false it may be for the past.” The world of Pinter’s works is one in which memory is fallible and the past a fiction of the present. In Silence, a new aspect of memory is hinted at, and it is further explored in Old Times: the past is given shape by remembering it; events take place as they are recalled. Yet whereas in Silence this aspect rather points at a philosophical dimension, Old Times develops this aspect further: here, memory is used as a potent weapon and as “a battleground on which struggles for power are carried out.“
The play is set in a converted farmhouse somewhere near the coast. As the title already suggests, the characters of the play discuss old times. However, the protagonists do not get together to talk about old times, but to use their memories in order to fight a battle for positions. The play begins with Kate and Deeley, both in their early forties, sitting in their living room and smoking cigarettes. While they discuss Kate’s best and only friend Anna, who is expected to dinner, the latter is already standing in dim light, looking out of the window.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the theoretical premise that memory is a reconstructive process essential for biographical continuity and outlines Pinter’s fascination with the impossibility of verifying the past.
2. Memory in Night: The chapter explores how memory serves as a tool for comfort and security in the sketch Night, demonstrating that characters often reshape their pasts to suit their present emotional needs.
3. Memory in Landscape: This section analyzes how memories can create insurmountable emotional distances between characters, highlighting the clash between romanticized pasts and pragmatic, present-oriented views.
4. Memory in Silence: The chapter examines the experimental structure of Silence, where memories are used to give shape to the shadows of the past, blurring the lines between reality, imagination, and unfulfilled desires.
5. Memory in Old Times: This chapter discusses the central role of memory in Old Times, where it functions as a strategic weapon in a power struggle, with characters manipulating their pasts to gain dominance over one another.
6. Conclusion: The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings, reiterating that in Pinter’s works, memory is inherently subjective and destructive, serving primarily to define power dynamics rather than to recover historical truth.
Keywords
Harold Pinter, Memory, Old Times, Landscape, Silence, Reconstruction, Subjectivity, Power, Identity, Impression Management, Ambiguity, Reality, Fiction, Interpersonal Conflict, Past
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the thematic significance of memory within Harold Pinter's works, specifically analyzing how his characters manipulate their past recollections to navigate the present.
Which specific plays by Harold Pinter are analyzed?
The research focuses on the sketch 'Night' and the plays 'Landscape', 'Silence', and 'Old Times'.
What is the central research question?
The paper investigates how memory functions as an unreliable reconstructive tool and how it is instrumentalized by characters as a weapon to assert power and control in interpersonal relationships.
What methodology does the author employ?
The paper utilizes a literary analysis approach, examining dialogue, character motivation, and dramatic structure to uncover how Pinter portrays the fluid boundary between reality and imagined pasts.
What is the primary theme discussed in the main section?
The main part of the paper examines the 'memory plays' and how they challenge the audience's understanding of verifiable facts and individual identity.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Harold Pinter, memory, reconstruction, power dynamics, ambiguity, identity, and impression management.
How does the author define the role of memory in 'Old Times'?
In 'Old Times', memory is described as a 'potent weapon' and a battleground where protagonists fight for supremacy by asserting versions of the past that cannot be verified.
How does the author interpret the ending of 'Old Times'?
The author concludes that Kate emerges as the most powerful character because she refuses to be defined by the past or by the narratives imposed by other characters, ultimately gaining control over her own agency.
- Quote paper
- Lydia Prexl (Author), 2007, The Aspect of Memory in Harold Pinter’s 'Old Times', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/128148
