Eye for the Gap: Frenzy, Liberty, and the Nietszchean Chorus in Conor McPherson's The Weir and Shining City

<p>This study situates <em>The Weir</em> and <em>Shining City</em> by Conor McPherson as embodying elements of Dionysian aesthetics as elucidated by Friedrich Nietzsche. Working through the lenses of Samuel Beckett’s linguistic philosophy and the premium of theater as established by Nietzsche, Artaud, and Brecht, the aim of this paper is to demonstrate how McPherson pierces the boundaries of language in drama by establishing his audience as chorus. Background information on Nietzsche’s <em>The Birth of Tragedy</em> and McPherson’s own comments on the plays are included with the research on the plays themselves. This work articulates the chorus itself but also the choral, musical quality of McPherson’s work and its resulting empowerment for the spectator.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts in English (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Literature and Philosophy

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Krieg, Frances

Contributors dc:contributor

• Howard Keeley
• Joe Pellegrino

• ETD
• Conor McPherson
• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Chorus
• narrative
• audience participation
• Arts and Humanities
• Celtic Studies
• Comparative Literature
• Dramatic Literature, Criticism and Theory
• English Language and Literature
• Literature in English, British Isles
• Modern Literature
• Performance Studies
• Philosophy
• Playwriting
• Reading and Language
• Theatre and Performance Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1071

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-2141