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- Sprache: Englisch
Unlock the more straightforward side of The Bald Soprano with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!
This engaging summary presents an analysis of
The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco, a short play which makes us truly think about language and how we use it. The play focuses on two couples, the Smiths and the Martins, who are at the Smiths’ house for dinner. Through his skilful manipulation of language, with techniques including repetition, tautologies and wordplay, Ionesco makes it painfully obvious how little language actually means. It is therefore hardly surprising that the play was not received well when it premiered in Paris in 1950, and was only fully appreciated many years after Ionesco first wrote it. Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian-French playwright, who is widely known as one of the foremost figures of French avant-garde theatre. He died in Paris in 1994.
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The Bald Soprano in a fraction of the time!
This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection
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Seitenzahl: 27
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017
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Eugène Ionesco
French dramatist
Born in Slatina (Romania) in 1909.Died in Paris in 1994.Notable works:The Lesson (1951), playRhinoceros (1959), playExit the King (1962), playBorn to a Romanian father and a French mother, Eugène Ionesco arrived in France when he was only a few years old and was made a French citizen in 1951. Although he was born in 1909, he always claimed he was born in 1912, to make himself out to be younger. His theatrical works (such as The Bald Soprano; The Lesson; The Chairs, 1952) left their mark on literature: today, he is one of the most performed French dramatists in the world. He wanted to make sure his works were understood, so he wrote many commentaries on them (such as Notes and Counter Notes, 1962; Fragments of a Journal, 1967). He was elected to the Académie française in 1970.
Ionesco was the leading figure of the Theatre of The Absurd, a new theatrical genre which rewrote the rules of classical theatre in the aftermath of the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Bald Soprano
A disconcerting work from the Theatre of the Absurd
Genre: playReference edition: Ionesco, E. (1982) The Bald Soprano & Other Plays. Trans. Allen, D. New York: Grove Press.1st edition: 1950Themes: bourgeoisie, absurd, languageThe short play The Bald Soprano, which came out in 1950, is centred around two middle-class English couples, the Martins and Smiths, whose chauvinism, way of life and social condition are all criticised by the author.
The work was branded an “anti-play” by Ionesco himself. Indeed, unlike in a traditional play, it is impossible to analyse the psychology of the characters of The Bald Soprano and they are interchangeable (the Martins replace the Smiths at the end of the play). Moreover, the incoherent dialogue prevents the action from progressing. The play mixes tragedy (notably with the death of Bobby Watson) with farcical situations (the Martins do not realise that they are married).
Summary
An English couple, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, are sitting in an English living room. Mr. Smith is smoking an English pipe and reading an English newspaper, while Mrs. Smith is trying to make conversation.
