The question of whether and how to combine left-wing political commitment
and writing for the stage has been causing considerable doubt among radical
playwrights for some time. Radical Marxists tend to point out that writing for a
predominantly bourgeois audience of playgoers is incompatible with the Marxist
claim to address the proletariat and form a class consciousness that, for them, is
the necessary precursor to revolutionary change, while others support an
“interventionist” position of Marxists in bourgeois cultures.1 This dilemma has
led the playwright Trevor Griffiths away from writing for the stage. Instead, he
has focused his output on television productions that are supposed to be watched
by a mass audience rather than an elitist one, although it has to be conceded that
productions like these are often scheduled at late-night times where workingclass
audiences are likely to miss them, while prime-time entertainment, which
usually works against the interests of the proletariat, is rendered more easily
accessible.2 Nevertheless Griffiths has produced a number of plays for the stage,
the most notable of which, Comedians (1976), will be discussed in this paper.
In his introduction to Plays One, Griffiths remarks about this drama that it
eschews political theory, professional ideologues and historically sourced discourse on
political revolution […] in favour of a more or less unmediated address on a range of
particular contemporary issues including class, gender, race and society in modern
Britain.3
Unlike in his earlier plays, Griffiths tries to present an analysis of the way
repressive ideologies work not merely by filtering them through the ideas and
theories of sophisticated and educated characters, but instead by exposing the
way these ideologies function in contemporary British society. This society is
represented by a class of aspiring comedians in an evening school in a
Manchester suburb. [...]
1 Cf. Catherine Itzin, Stages in the Revolution: Political Theatre in Britain Since 1968 (London:
Eyre Methuen, 1980), pp. 165, 169f.
2 Griffiths points out that he “chose to work in those modes because … I have to work with the
popular imagination … I am not interested in talking to thirty-eight university graduates in a
cellar in Soho.” Quoted after Itzin, Stages in the Revolution (cit. note 1), p. 169.
3 Trevor Griffiths, Plays One (London: Faber and Faber, 1996), p. viii.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- 1. Introduction
- 2. A Marxist reading of Comedians
- 2.1 The defectiveness of the socio-economic system
- 2.1.1 The concrete material circumstances
- 2.1.2 The defectiveness of the socio-economic system
- 2.1.3 The defectiveness of the educational system
- 2.1.4 The defectiveness of marriage and the family
- 2.1.5 Conclusion
- 2.2 Capitalist repression and its challengers
- 2.2.1 Bert Challenor: Comedy as escape
- 2.2.2 Eddie Waters: Comedy as remedy
- 2.2.3 Gethin Price: Comedy as refusal
- 3. Conclusion: Repressive Tolerance or Revolutionary Commitment?
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to analyze Trevor Griffiths' play, Comedians, through a Marxist lens. It examines how the play critiques the socio-economic system of 1970s Britain and the ways in which individuals respond to capitalist repression. The paper explores the play's depiction of class, social structures, and the limitations of reformist approaches to social change.
- Critique of Capitalism: The play's depiction of the flaws within the British capitalist system.
- Class Struggle and Individual Response: How characters navigate and react to their socio-economic circumstances.
- Ideology and Repression: The analysis of how ideologies function within British society and repress individuals.
- Revolutionary vs. Reformist Approaches: The contrasting approaches to challenging the existing power structures.
- The Role of Comedy: How comedy functions as a means of escape, remedy, or refusal in the context of societal oppression.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the central dilemma faced by radical playwrights: how to reconcile left-wing political commitment with writing for a predominantly bourgeois audience. It discusses Trevor Griffiths' shift towards television productions and his unique approach in Comedians, which avoids explicit political theory in favor of portraying contemporary issues like class, gender, and race in a more direct way, through the lives of aspiring comedians. The chapter establishes the Marxist framework for interpreting the play, justifying this approach both politically (despite the fall of communist regimes, Marxist critique remains relevant) and biographically (Griffiths' socialist commitments). The introduction sets the stage for a Marxist analysis, emphasizing Griffiths' belief that socialism's victory over capitalism is a given, and foreshadowing the play's critique of the capitalist system and its suggestion of revolution as the only effective solution.
2. A Marxist reading of Comedians: This section delves into a detailed Marxist interpretation of Comedians. It begins by analyzing the defectiveness of the socio-economic system as depicted in the play, examining concrete material circumstances and the roles of education, marriage and family in perpetuating societal inequalities. The analysis then shifts to explore the various forms of resistance to capitalist repression displayed by the characters: Bert Challenor's comedy as escape, Eddie Waters' comedy as a remedy for societal ills, and Gethin Price's comedy as an act of refusal. This section extensively examines how the characters embody and react to the flaws of the system, highlighting the limitations of individual action within a structurally oppressive context.
Frequently Asked Questions: A Marxist Reading of Trevor Griffiths' *Comedians*
What is the main focus of this paper?
This paper provides a Marxist analysis of Trevor Griffiths' play, *Comedians*, examining how it critiques the socio-economic system of 1970s Britain and the individual responses to capitalist repression. It explores themes of class, social structures, and the limitations of reformist approaches to social change.
What are the key themes explored in the analysis of *Comedians*?
The key themes include: a critique of capitalism; class struggle and individual responses to socio-economic circumstances; the role of ideology and repression in British society; contrasting revolutionary and reformist approaches to challenging power structures; and the function of comedy as escape, remedy, or refusal in the face of oppression.
What is the structure of the Marxist analysis presented in the paper?
The analysis is structured into two main sections. The first section analyzes the defectiveness of the socio-economic system depicted in the play, looking at material circumstances, education, marriage, and family structures. The second section explores how characters (Bert Challenor, Eddie Waters, and Gethin Price) resist capitalist repression through different forms of comedic expression: escape, remedy, and refusal.
How does the paper justify its Marxist approach?
The paper justifies its Marxist framework both politically (arguing that Marxist critique remains relevant despite the fall of communist regimes) and biographically (referencing Griffiths' socialist commitments). The introduction highlights Griffiths' belief in socialism's eventual victory over capitalism and foreshadows the play's critique of the system and its suggestion of revolution as the only effective solution.
What is the role of comedy in the play according to the analysis?
The analysis examines how comedy functions differently for each character. For Bert Challenor, it's an escape; for Eddie Waters, a remedy for societal ills; and for Gethin Price, an act of refusal against the system. The analysis highlights the limitations of individual action within a structurally oppressive context.
What does the introduction to the paper discuss?
The introduction addresses the challenge faced by radical playwrights in balancing left-wing political commitment with appealing to a bourgeois audience. It discusses Griffiths' move to television and his unique approach in *Comedians*, avoiding explicit political theory and instead focusing on portraying contemporary issues through the lives of aspiring comedians. It sets the stage for a Marxist interpretation of the play.
What is the conclusion of the paper?
The conclusion explores the question: Repressive Tolerance or Revolutionary Commitment? This is a question that arises from the analysis of the characters’ responses to the socio-economic system portrayed in *Comedians*. (The specific content of the conclusion is not detailed in the provided summary).
What is included in the provided preview of the paper?
The preview includes a table of contents, objectives and key themes, chapter summaries, and keywords. It offers a comprehensive overview of the paper’s content and methodology.
- Quote paper
- Karsten Runge (Author), 1998, it's just a bad system: A Marxist reading of Trevor Griffiths Comedians, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/13947
