Theatre and reality in the novel by barry unsworth “morality play”

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to analyze the novel by the British writer of the late 20th – early 21st century Barry Unsworth – "Morality Play" (1995), which takes place in the late Middle Ages, in terms of its theatricality. Theatricality in the English literature of this period becomes the significant art category. In this work the concept of theater permeates all levels of the novels”™ structure – thematic, lexical, psychological and philosophical, resulting in the ultimate theatralization of the text. Theatricality becomes its fundamental principle, which reflects itself in visualization, dialogization, attempts to orchestrate individual lives and life at large, etc. In Barry Unsworth”™s novel it contributes to the creation of a metatheatrical picture of the world, when the border between theater and reality is completely blurred – life and theatre are interchanging and eventually theatricality increasingly develops into a postmodern carnival, which is characterized by multiplicity, lack of clear ideological orientation, mixture of high and low, overlapping game nature.