Attempts On Saving The Community—A Study Of Jon Fosse's Plays

Jon Fosse(1959-)is one of the most important writers in contemporary Norwegian literature,Many critics call Fosse "the greatest playwright ever since Ibsen." As a writer who attaches great importance to writing skills and a playwright who is familiar with theatre,Fosse's plays are of high research value.With his special concept of time and space,superb language skills and unique expressions,Fosse has formed his own playwriting style,which differs from both traditional dramatic theatre and other postdramatic playwrights.Among his unique expressions,the repeatability of language and the dynamic poetic quality are recognized by artists and critics as Fosse's aesthetic characteristics.With his own experiments,Fosse explored the new possibilities of contemporary theatre.This thesis begins with a common theme of Fosse's plays,which is concluded by the author as 'attempts on saving the community',and discusses in details the characteristics and causes of Fosse's aesthetics through close reading of his representative plays and comparative reading with classical plays.This thesis is divided into five parts:In the introduction part,the author summarizes Jon Fosse 's writing experience,honor and awards,his international reception and also the research status in China and all over the world.It is necessary to consider the whole process of modern theatre in the 20th century to assess Fosse's atheistic characteristics and achievements.The author points out that 'attempts on saving the community' is a common theme in Fosse's plays and therefore explains their formal characteristics.The first chapter focuses on the concept of time and space,discusses the difference between Fosse's plays and dramatic theatre,as well as his unique spatial-temporal juxtaposition technique.Fosse introduced the concept of hetero,topia into his attempts on saving the community,which made a dynamic space in his plays.The second chapter analyzes Fosse's language techniques,including the interruption of dialogues,the use of monologues,repeatability and rhythm.From the perspective of linguistic structure,this thesis explores the differences between the community established in Fosse's plays and in the traditional dramatic theatre.The third chapter discusses the interpersonal interaction and tension in Fosse's plays,Fosse's portraying of his characters is a rebellion against the traditional concept of characters.Putting his characters in a small community,Fosse showed the tension of the interpersonal atmosphere itself.In the conclusion part,the aesthetics of Fosse's playwriting is summed up as a dynamic aesthetic,which is an appropriate expression of his attempts on saving the community,and a poetic reaction to contemporary life and interpersonal interaction.