AnanalysisofPinteresqueCharacterization

Abstract ： Pinter’s caracterization is quite dierent rom te traditional one. Caracters in Pinter’s plays are devoid o clear identity， motivation， bacground as well as distinctive traits. As a result， to now te “trut” about te caracters is almost impossible.

ey words： Pinteresque ；Caracterization ； playTraditional realistic playwrigs always concentrate on caracterization by creating vivid realistic caracters tat could bring te audience to te real lie. Since te caracters are always typically created， people can easily identiy teir arcetype in real lie. Tereore， a typical， believable and vivid caracter is te goal o caracterization or realistic writers Teir caracters are liely to all into te traditional opposition o te good and bad， te angel and devil. owever， Pinter’s caracterization is quite dierent rom te traditional one. Caracters in Pinter’s plays are devoid o clear identity， motivation， bacground as well as distinctive traits. Pinter’s caracters are more conusing， because Pinter concentrates on te caracters’ present state rater tan te past. e only sows te dramatic act， rater tan te motivation or cause o an event. Te caracters incline to tal and beave in a queer and unexpected way Te more inormation tey ave， te more unbelievable tey become. All te inormation provided about te caracters can’t satisy te audience wo are very accustomed to traditional caracters. Te audience would be puzzled about te caracter’s identity， bacground， motivation as well as teir personal traits till te end o te play. Teir balement is lie tat in real lie， as Lyotard olds tat te society is lie a “text” and is set in a pysical world o relativity， caos teory （Lyotard 12）. In suc a world， indeterminacy， plurality and uncertainty are celebrated. As a result， to now te “trut” about te caracters is almost impossible.

一、 Vague Identities

Pinter gives two dierent names to te same caracter in Te Caretaer， in wic te old tramp Davies tells Aston tat Davies is is ae name， wit is real name as enins. owever， e tells Mic is real name is Davies， and now uses te ae name， enins. Te audience is conused about wic one is is real name， because te traditional realistic caracters ave only one name wic stands or teir traits， social bacground as well as geograpical origin. In Pinter’s plays， te audience as no way o nowing te caracter’s real identity.

In Te Birtday Party， Stanley is called Meg， and Petey is called Stan by Goldberg； Mccann named Goldberg Nat and Simey. Te naming suggests tat tere must be stories idden beind. Troug te device， te dramatic eects o “Pintereque” are ully maniested. So Pinter’s plays can always create dramatic suspense， wic elps to eigen te dramatic tension.

二、Ambiguous Bacgrounds

Apart rom te caracter’s identity， te bacground o te caracters is also azy in Pinter’s plays. In traditional dramas， te caracter’s bacground inormation is ully presented in order tat te audience can ully understand te play. owever， Pinter’s plays seldom provide te bacground inormation about te caracters， leaving te audience puzzled and perplexed. In Te Caretaer， Davies’ bacground is not clear enoug or te audience to remember im， wit is past lie unnown to te audience till te end o te play. Moreover， Pinter neiter reveals Davies’ ometown nor tells anyting about is amily.

三、 lac o distinctive traits

Pinter’s caracters are te typical representative o tose in postmodernistic wors o literature； so， is caracters are always in a contradictory state， canging endlessly witout consistent personal traits. In Pinter’s writings， te dynamic caracters usually become te dumb obects， aving no past and uture， as well as consciousness and unconsciousness. In every stage o caracterization， te inal identity and te inised image are always deerred， because te related inormation oten leads to irrationality， inconsistency and sel-contradiction. Te caracters in Pinter’s wors o literature are oten a series o ragments. Pinter’s writings put te supposed certainty o te unique essence o caracters into question. As a consequence， te audience could only get a picture o montage. Troug te unique device o caracterization， Pinter successully depicts te uman’s living condition and teir psycology in te postmodernistic perspective wit is acute observance and sarp language.参考文献：

[1]Z（#Lyotard， ean-rancois. Te Postmodernism Reader： oundational Texts. Ed. Micael Drolet. London and NY： Routledge， 2004

[2]Prentice， Penelope. arold Pinter： Lie， Wor， and Criticism. redericton： Yor Press Ltd.， 1991.

[3]Regal， Martin S. arold Pinter： A Question o Timing. New Yor： ST. Martin’s Press， 1995.