Художественное своеобразие монодрамы М. Равенхилла “The Experiment”

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify the distinctive features of the monodrama “The Experiment” (2009) by the English writer M. Ravenhill. The paper examines the theoretical aspects of the monodrama, as well as carries out a comprehensive analysis of the text of the play from the perspective of its artistic originality. The analysis of the text made it possible to identify the artistic originality of the play, as well as some common, typological features of the dramatic compositions of a “plunge into the soliloquy” type (P. Pavis). The scientific novelty of the paper lies in the fact that M. Ravenhill’s monodrama has not previously been analysed from the perspective of its artistic specificity in both Russian and foreign science: this study is the first to consider in detail Mark Ravenhill’s play “The Experiment” and its artistic originality. As a result, we come to the conclusion that M. Ravenhill uses a special artistic strategy of the “theatre of cruelty”, combining the features of the classical monodrama with his own author’s modifications: the protagonist’s inner dialogue; change of the narrator; narration in the form of a stream of consciousness with violation of syntactic and logical norms; the reader’s/viewer’s identification with the image of an unreliable narrator; introduction of reminiscence as a leading visual and expressive technique.