One of Britain's most notorious plays of the 1990s, Sarah Kane's "Blasted" shocked the public and critics alike due to its graphic depiction of death and violence. Beneath this surface lies, however, a carefully thought out representation of trauma and its effects on the human soul. This paper explores the links between trauma theory and Kane's most famous work.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Trauma and trauma theory
2.1. Etymology and historical considerations
2.2. The psychological definition of trauma
2.3. Symptoms of trauma-related disorders
2.4. The bigger picture: psychoanalytical contributions to trauma theory
2.5. Trauma and testimony
2.6. Trauma and literature
3. Trauma in Blasted
3.1.1. Characters: Ian
3.1.2. Characters: Soldier
3.1.3. Characters: Cate
3.2. Stylistic devices: language, body, narration
3.3. “Blasted” in the context of In-Yer-Face Theatre
4. Concluding remarks
Objectives and Topics
This work aims to examine Sarah Kane's play Blasted through the lens of trauma theory, moving beyond clinical diagnostic criteria to explore the psychoanalytical and social dimensions of violence. The central research objective is to investigate how the play represents the interconnectedness of human life and how it challenges the distinction between "peaceful" civilization and mass trauma, such as that seen in war-torn regions like Bosnia.
- Clinical psychology versus psychoanalytical perspectives on trauma
- Symptoms and manifestations of PTSD within dramatic characters
- The concept of "testimony" and the role of the reader/spectator
- Stylistic devices that allow literature to "perform" trauma
- The socio-political context of "In-Yer-Face" theatre and its relation to the "crisis of masculinity"
Excerpt from the book
3.1.2. Characters: Soldier
The fact that the Soldier is the only character whose name we never get to know illustrates the fact that only few bits of information are revealed about him. Soldier is by far the most brutal character of the play, and the sharp, often short sentences he uses throughout the play reflect his emotional numbness. We get to know that he doesn’t only suffer from the obligation to develop a second, military self as was mentioned earlier, but that he also witnessed the torture and murder of his girlfriend. The fact that he now engages similar atrocities over and over again can be explained by the concept of repetitive compulsion. This Freudian idea states that repeatedly acting out an event that couldn’t be assimilated in the past is a try to recognise, and finally overcome this event (Buse, 2001: p.174). This is the apparent coping strategy of Soldier, who seems to have taken part in a large number of cruelties. But despite his actions, even this character is sometime portrayed as human and vulnerable, because his grief for his dead girlfriend seems sincere.
Soldier is the person that talks most openly and detailed about what he saw and did during the war. This is an example how Blasted requires special “reading skills”, to quote Miller and Tougaw, and reflects something Kopf (2010: p.50) describes in the anecdote of the Rwandan woman that couldn’t find a listener. The trauma has killed Soldier’s ability to hold back, to encode what he has seen, or to use metaphors and analogies in order to soften his narrative. In the end, the severity of his trauma gets the best of him, and Soldier commits suicide. Although he is the most monstrous character in the play and was written by Kane to be “worse than Ian” (Sierz, 2001: p.103), he, too, is depicted as a victim in some way.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the controversy surrounding Sarah Kane's Blasted and establishes the intention to interpret the play through trauma theory rather than focusing solely on its shocking nature.
2. Trauma and trauma theory: This comprehensive section defines trauma from both medical/psychological and psychoanalytical viewpoints, discussing symptoms, historical development, and the vital role of testimony.
3. Trauma in Blasted: This chapter analyzes how trauma manifests in the play's three main characters, examines the stylistic choices Kane employs, and places the work within the context of In-Yer-Face Theatre.
4. Concluding remarks: The final section synthesizes the analysis, arguing that Kane's "seed and tree" analogy realistically portrays the fragility of civilization and the cyclical nature of violence.
Keywords
Trauma, Sarah Kane, Blasted, In-Yer-Face Theatre, PTSD, Psychoanalysis, Testimony, Witnessing, Violence, Repetitive Compulsion, Military Self, Dissociation, Crisis of Masculinity, Thatcherism, Empathic Unsettlement
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the representation of trauma in Sarah Kane’s play Blasted, bridging the gap between clinical psychological perspectives and psychoanalytical theory.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied to the play?
The author primarily utilizes clinical psychology (DSM-V criteria) and psychoanalytical contributions to trauma theory, including concepts like the "military self" and "repetitive compulsion."
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate that Blasted is not merely shocking for its own sake, but serves as a serious exploration of how trauma affects both individuals and society.
What methodological approach does the author use?
The method involves a textual analysis of the play's characters and stylistic devices, supported by literary criticism and trauma studies literature.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the paper?
The paper covers the history of trauma, diagnostic symptoms like PTSD, the relevance of testimony, the role of literature in performing trauma, and a character-by-character analysis of Ian, the Soldier, and Cate.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as trauma, testimony, psychoanalysis, In-Yer-Face Theatre, dissociation, and the "seed and tree" analogy.
How does the author interpret the character of the Soldier?
The author views the Soldier not just as a monster, but as a victim of his own trauma who suffers from "repetitive compulsion" and the inability to process his war experiences.
Why does the author argue that the play requires special "reading skills"?
Because the play uses a fragmented, reductionist style that performs trauma, the author argues that the reader must approach it not as a conventional story, but with an analytical mindset to fully grasp its meaning.
How is the relationship between Britain and Bosnia connected in the text?
Through Sarah Kane's "seed and tree" metaphor, the author posits that the violence witnessed in war zones like Bosnia is not an isolated phenomenon, but a latent possibility within "civilized" societies like Britain.
- Citar trabajo
- Jakub Duch (Autor), 2015, Trauma and Trauma Theory in Sarah Kane's "Blasted", Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/512049
