Rewriting the Plot: Re-Creations in Contemporary British Comedy
Résumé
At the close of the 20th century, British comedy relies increasingly on the dynamics of rewriting, be it formal or thematic, literary or historical. This omnipresence highlights the a-political choices of a generation that rejected the radical theatre of the 70s and 80s and criticised thesis drama. Parody and the reworking of past texts characterise not only the satirical form adopted by Ayckbourn and Elton, but also the epistemological comedy of Stoppard and Bennett, and provide them both with open, non-didactic structures.