"In Better Places": Space, Identity, and Alienation in Sarah Kane's "Blasted"

Author(s): Christopher Wixson

Source: Comparative Drama, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Spring 2005), pp. 75-91
Published by: Comparative Drama
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 "In BetterPlaces":Space,Identity,
andAlienation in SarahKane'sBlasted
Christopher Wixson
Mywoundis mygeography.
Itis also myanchorage,
myportofcall.
- PatConroy,ThePrinceof Tides

of thetaskof new playwrights has alwaysbeen to re-envision

theatrical representation to reflect
culturalshifts.The politicaland
technological upheaval of the last has
quartercentury dissolvedtheold
map,themarginsto a certainextentmovingto thecenter, and engen-
deredthehope of a new freedomgoverning social relations,a culture
less hierarchical. Yet,forso manycharacters in contemporary English
such a is notso 1SarahKanesBlasted( 1995)
plays, landscape empowering.
employsgraphicdepictions ofsexandviolenceas wellas radicalperipa-
teticspatialshiftsthatactas emblemsofthisalienation, challenging the
conventions ofrealistic
theater byextending to theaudience her charac-
ters'estrangement fromtheirenvironment. This essays titlealludesto
thefirstspokenlineofKanesexplosiveplayin whichworld-weary, tab-
loid journalistIan entersa "veryexpensivehotelroomin Leeds"and
wrylydeclares,Tve shatin betterplacesthanthis."2 His commentnot
onlybetrays his defensive insecuritiesbut the
lays groundwork forthe
s
play lavatorial sensibilities
andtheauthors obsession(tobe exploredin
herlaterworkas well)withwhatMichelFoucaultcallsheterotopic spac-
ing.3WithBlasted,Kaneseekstodismantle theold psycho-geographical
dramaturgy and construct onstagea new modelof place and identity
fromthedevastation.
Committed toreturning therepressed,KaneinBlastedstrives torep-
resentonstagewhatis oftenonlyimpliedor relegatedoffstage, moving
themarginstothecenter. Sheattempts torepresent thepolitical,ethical,
andexistential unconscious whileavoidingeuphemism through abstract

75

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76 Drama
Comparative

symbolism or metaphor. Herrealismunderstands thesubconsciousnot

as a Stanislavskiansignified butas thematter oftheater itself.Sheresists
neoclassicaldiscretion in herrepresentation ofviolence,mandatingus
to confront whatcomfortable theatergoers in theWestputasidein our
day-to-day lives.
Pareddownto basics,Blastersplotconcernswhattranspires in a
LeedshotelroombetweenIan,a middle-agedwriterin poor physical
and moralhealth,and Cate,a young,innocentgirlproneto strangeun-
consciousfits.He manipulatesand eventually rapesher,an act Kane
choosesnottorepresent The
onstage. following morning, CatebitesIarís
and
penis escapesthrough a bathroom window. A soldierarrives through
thedoor,and theroomis hitbya mortarshell.Afterward, thenameless
soldiertalksto Ian aboutatrocity, sodomizeshim,sucksout and eats
Ians eyes,andthenshootshimself. Catereturns witha babywhoquickly
dies,andsheburiesitinthefloormarkedbya cross.Aftersheleaves,the
newlyblindedIan eatsthebabyand crawlsintothefloorboards. Atthe
end,Cate returns, bleedingbetweenherlegsbutcarrying food.The by-
nowinfamouspremiereofBlastedoccasioneda mediamaelstrom and
assureda sold-outrun.Engagedin theworstsortof faux-intellectual
mastication, criticsbombardedtheproduction withcrankydiatribes la-
mentingthecontentoftheplayand the spiritedaudacity of itsauthor
whoquickly becamea theatrical sprezzatura.WhilethemacabreJacobean
energy thatdrives Blasted largelyencompassesitsnotoriety, criticsas
strongly objectedtoKanesviolationofquasi-Aristotelian placeas toher
strident boundsoverthelinesofdecency. WhatAleksSierzidentifies as
theplays"deliberately unusual and provocative form"4 is a function of
twoelements: therejectionofa unityofspaceand theunflinching rep-
resentation ofcorporealsuffering.
AsUnaChaudhuri hasconvincingly argued, twentieth-century drama
hasperpetually wrangled withreconceptualizing theatricalenvironments
beginning with realism and naturalism, generic modes "based on the
on theidea thatwherean actionun-
principleof spatialintelligibility,
foldsgoesa longwaytowardsexplaining it."5Kanescharacters longfora
space thatconfersupon themtheproperties of home: security, fulfill-
ment, andbelonging.
privacy, Unfortunately, theyfindthemselves lostin
place,wandering within spaces thataretransient, and
porous, constantly

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 Wixson
Christopher 77

undersiege.Kanechoosesthemomentwhenthesoldiermarkshisterri-
tory(urinating inthehotelroominfront ofIan) to reorganize thespace
and thestructure of herplaywitha "blindinglightand a hugeexplo-
sion"followedbya blackoutwhen"a morter bomb"blastsaparttheplays
hotelsetting(39). In earlierdrafts, Kanehad Ian imaginethesoldierun-
tilsheradically decidedto"planta bombandjustblowthewholefucking
thingup.... [she] loved the idea of that... just blowingup the set."6
Blasted'sfirsthalflurestheaudienceintoa falsesense of naturalistic
security,eclipsedbehindtheinvisible fourth wall,thatanesthetic, insulat-
ingconspiracy Brecht foundso dangerous tosocialengagement. Through
herArtaudiansleights ofhandthattrespasson boththecharacters' and
theaudiencescomfort the
zones, play is relentlessin demolishing what
Kanerefers toas "thesafety offamiliarform."7 In herself-described quest
to"dothingsthathadn'tbeendone,to inventnewforms[and]findnew
modes of representation,"8 Kane situatesher workalongsidethatof
"Beckett, Barker, Pinter,[and]Bond"who"allhavebeencriticized notso
muchforthecontent oftheirwork, butbecausetheyusenon-naturalistic
formsthateludesimplistic As such,Kanes use ofstage
interpretation".9
space is farfrom gratuitous, in
especially relation to issuesofidentity.
An indicationofhowdeeplywe protectourselvesthroughgeogra-
phyis thevoracity oftheplaysreception. Justas itprovidesthetermsin
whichthe characters experienceangstand fragmentation, space (and
Kanesruthless rejection ofconventional stagemapping) became, forre-
the
viewers, play s too audacious move. In the onlybook-length studyto
datedevotedsolelyto Kanes plays,GrahamSaundersidentifies Kanes
"rejection, or at least manipulation, of the conventions of realism [as]
thekeydistinguishing feature ofthedramaticstrategy employed" in her
work.10 Kane indelicately balancestwoontologiesofstagespace;one is
grounded in the flexibilityofShakespearean and medievaldramawhile
theotherinvokesthestifling overdetermination ofkitchen-sink realism.
Surprisingly, itis her defiance ofthe rules of realism, especially terms
in
of space,thatinfuriated criticsmorethanherplays shockingimages.
Indeed,it is hardto finda reviewor criticalappraisalof theplaythat
does notitselfresortto spatiallanguageand metaphors. Some areposi-
tivecomments, as forinstanceRichardEyreandNicholasWright s claim
thatKane"rewrote thetheatricalmap" or James Macdonald s praiseof

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78 Drama
Comparative

howin a laterplayshe"removesthepsychological signpostsand social

geography thatyou getin the GreatBritishplay."11 Others,however,
categorically reject Blasted for itsfailure to follow "traditional" patters.
If,as Chaudhuriargues, "theproblemofplace- andplaceas problem-
informs realistdramadeeply, appearingas a seriesofruptures and dis-
placements in various orders of location, from the micro- to the
macrospatial"12 whywas Kane so vilifiedbycriticsin exploiting anxi-
etiesand holesthatresidewithinthetradition ofrealismanyway? The
soundsofcriticalfuryengendered byBlastedchastisedKane foreffec-
tivelydeploying thisinherent qualityof thetheater, counterbalancing
twoseemingly incompatible spaceswiththeaim of illuminating their
compatibility.Why, especially after Beckett,arecritics tobreak-
so resistant
ingplace? Or is the resistance merely to Kane doing so?
A certaincriticalhypocrisy existsin termsofhowKanes dramatur-
gicalchoiceto is perceived. Likea numberofcritics, MichaelBillington
identifiedBlasted'sfundamental flawas itsstructure: "The reasonthe
playfallsapartisthatthereis no senseofexternal reality-whoexactlyis
meantto be fighting whomout on thestreets".13 Curiously, Billington
does notmakethesamecriticism ofHaroldPintersPartytime (1991),a
play also
that experiments in itsconclusion with dramatic timeand space
and offers fewspecificcluesas to thewarfare happeningin thestreets
below.14In fact,he lavishly praisesthelatter, sayingthattheplaywright is
"concerned by our culpable indifference to the sins being committed in
thenameofsocialorderand good'government."15 Billington goeson to
contendthatPartytime explores"bourgeois in
complicity governmental
cruelty"as a "parableabouta vacuum-sealed, high-bourgeois worldcut
offfromthesurrounding harshness."16 Despite the similar thematic reso-
nancebetweenthetwo,he won'tforgive Kane'sviolationoftheunityof
placeevenas he is seemingly untroubled byPinter s similarambiguity:
The locationofthepartythatPinterdepictsis unspecified, but fromall
theinternalevidenceitseemsto be happeningin London.[But]where
is theplayactuallyhappening?In one sense.,it could be Paris,Berlin,
Washington, Istanbul,BuenosAiresor Santiago.. . . Pinteris notliterally
suggesting thatroadblocksare beingsetup in HollandParkor round-
ups are takingplace in Belgravia.Whathe does implyis thatone ofthe
preconditions ofFascism- a myopicand self-preoccupied wealthyelite,
totallyindifferentto thedecisionstakenin itsname- is becoming dan-
gerouslyapparentin Britain.But he goes muchfurtherand suggests

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 Wixson
Christopher 79

thatunderthedrawing-room echo public

elegance,privaterelationships
and
brutality that itself
language is corrupted.17
Regarding Partytimes conclusionin whicha brightflashbringswhatis
outsidein (Kanes exactmove),Billington blithely acceptstheimplica-
tion:"All,literally, becomesclearat theendwhena brightlightthathas
burnedintotheroomatintervals revealsthethinly dressedfigureofthe
brother Jimmy, a victim of the state oppression to which thepartygoers
haveturnedtheblindestofeyes."18 Thematically, Blastedmakesthesame
points,except that Kane abhors the vacuum and muchmoreviolently
andaccusingly shatters thesafeinsularity ofhercharacters andheraudi-
ences.She situates"a violentdislocationat [theplays] center. . . break-
ing down the distanceimposed by geographyand indifference."19
Billington goeson to arguethat"Pinter s viewson politics... areconsis-
tent,impassioned and well informed" and "whatisdismaying, inthelarger
framework, is the way Pinter is constantly patronized in the mediafor
expressing politicalopinions," precisely whathe does to Kane.20How-
ever, itis not my intention to single out one criticor to givetheimpres-
sion thatPartytime was praisedunanimously.21 I also do not wantto
spend too much time railingagainstgenderiniquitieswithinEnglish
dramaticcriticism or thewaysin whichthemyopiaof predominantly
male reviewers mucksup theappreciation and fiscalsuccessof plays.
this
However, example makes clear thatspatialtransgressions areat the
heartofsomeofthecriticalresentment oí Blasted.Besidestheexcessive
aggressive responses, Kanesmoreseriousandrespectful criticslamented
theplaysobfuscated "metaphorical landscape"22 andits"unrealistic plot-
ting [and] anti-naturalism."23 Yet, part of what makes Kane's dramaturgy
effective is thedisorientating effect itcreates.IfChekhov'splaysarein-
habitedby characterswho are nativeoutsiders, occupyingan uneasy
stasis,simultaneously at homeand homeless,Kane in Blastedextends
whatChaudhuricalls a "staticexilicconsciousness"24 to theaudience
her
through staging ofviolence that violates rules of representation and
convention withinwhatis designated as theatrical space.
Althoughit concludesin a warzone,Blastedbeginsin an upscale
hotelroom,a spacethatconspicuously denieswhatthenotionofa "home"
promises to confer uponitsinhabitants.25 Thehotelisa spaceofprofound
alienation, a "surrogate home,a stablecontainer forthedeterritorialized
self...[a] nightmarish of
experience spatialabstraction."26 The hotel

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80 Drama
Comparative

simulates thecomforts ofhomebut,as evidentinIans first line,reminds

thecharacters thattheyarenothome,frustrating anysenseofbelonging.
The openingsetdescription a
specifies precise location ("a veryexpen-
sivehotelroomin Leeds"[3]) that,due to itsexpensiveness also defies
spatialprecision("so expensiveitcouldbe anywhere in theworld"[3]).
Kane is evokinga principleof culturalMcDonaldizationthathomog-
enizesspacetooffer consumers security andpredictability.Thissenseof
safetyin vacuum-sealed of
uniformityplace (also conferred uponcon-
sumersof dramaticrealismhidingbehindtheinvisiblefourthwall) is
partofwhatKane setsouttoviolatein Blasted.Itis a spacewherecon-
ventionandlanguageitself willcollapseintononiterability,tobe replaced
byKanespoeticsofcorporeality andpopulatedbybodiesin pain.
Each of Blasted'scharacters experiencetheiralienationin spatial
terms.Findinghimselfbetweena HardRockCaféand a hardplace,Ian
paces nervously throughthefirsthalfof theplay,alternating between
and Ians
paranoia aggression. response tohissenseofdispossession is to
revertto racistdiatribes, in thiscase againstan unseenthoughomni-
present Other. His bigotry comesacrossin spatialterms, as he fearsthat
theareais"turning intoWogland"(34) andlamentsthathe"hate[s]this
Stinks.
city. Wogs and Pakistakingover"(4). He explainsthathisshady
involvement witha right-wing politicalgrouphappenedbecause"[he]
lovefs]thisland" (40). Defininghimselfas a "homejournalist[who
doesn't]coverforeign affairs"(48),Ian seesthethreattohisspaceandto
hisidentityas concurrent, andspendstheentireplayanxiously estranged
fromsecurity withboth,responding toknocksatthedoorandpotential
encroachment bythe"Wog"bellboydelivering foodwithinvective and
bybrandishing his gun.Midwaythrough theplay,whenIan opensthe
door, a soldierwith a snipers rifleis thereand quicklytakesIans re-
volver.Aftersurveying theroom,eatingIans food,andpocketingCates
underwear, the soldierurinateson thebed,claiming"ourtownnow"
(39).27Histemporary self-assertionisexpressed byconquering thespace.
WhenCateenters thehotelroom,shesensually exploresherenvironment:
(Cate comesfurtherintotheroom.Sheputsherbag downand bounces
on thebed.Shegoes aroundtheroom,lookingin everydrawer,
touching
everything.She smellsthefìowersand smiles.)
Cate:Lovely.(44)

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 Wixson
Christopher 81

LikeIbsensNora,Cate is alignedsymbolically withtheroom,and both

willbe violatedduringtheplay.Later, thesoldiergroundshisaccountof
wartimeatrocityin geographicalspecifics - he alwayssetsthe scene,
whetherin "a housejustoutsideoftown", a "basement" and a "ceiling,"
or"thefrontdoor"(43,44). The victimsaremergedviolently withtheir
environment- youngboysarehungfromtheceilingbytheirtesticles,
andthesoldiers wifeis raped,butchered, andnailedtothefront door.As
partof theenvironment, Cate too is destinedforviciousauthoritative
inscription,a fateIan unknowingly sharesas well.
Securityand contentment belongto a fantasyspace,outsidethe
boundsof the narrative. The soldierrevealsto Ian that"at home I'm
clean.Likeitneverhappened"(48). Homeconfers uponhimthesenseof
a purerself,infusedwithinnocenceand happiness.He begsIan to map
hispresenceinthatspace,to"tellthemyousawme.Tellthem. . . yousaw
me"(48).28Ian claimsthatCate"takes[him]to anotherplace"(22),even
as his violencetowardsher (balancedbyhis moreromanticlanguage
and theobviousintimacy betweenthem)represents his desperation to
dwellin thatelusive"otherplace."In contrast, Cate is able to escapethe
alienationoftheworldand travelmomentarily tosucha space.Earlyon
intheplay,aftershetrembles andfaints, Catesuddenly "burstsoutlaugh-
ing,unnaturally, hysterically,uncontrollably" (9). When she wakesup,
shetellsa concernedIanthatit"feelslikeI'mawayforminutesormonths
sometimes, thenI comebackjustwhereI was... . I didnt go far... . [IfI
didn'tcomeback,]I'd staythere" (10). Cateunderstands herownalterity
When
spatially. Ian begins to undress her earlyon in theplay,Cateresists
and"startsto trembleand makeinarticulate crying sounds" (14), enter-
ingthefirst ofherodd comaliketrances. Catestransporting interludes,a
cipher for both Ian and the audience, are similar to Kanes explosive
momentsofspatialreconfiguration and graphicviolencein thatall are
able momentarily to eludenaturalistic currents, creatinga textualhole
thatdisturbsthephenomenological foundation thatgroundsidentity in
environment. Her seizuresalso unmoorpsychological underpinnings
foundedin causal motivation, Stanislavski's RosettaStone,disturbing
smoothcausalnarrative withalterity represented yetunrepresentable in
conventional terms.
The morningafterhe rapesher,CateattacksIan,getting hisgunand

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82 Drama
Comparative

pointingit at his crotch.Atthatmoment, anotherfithappens,and she

faints.LiketheSoldierwhoritually re-enacts hiswifesbrutalization, Ian
holdshisguntoCatesheadandsimulates sexwhilesheis unconscious.29
Anyanalgesiceffect fromhis Freudianrepetition compulsionis offset
when,as he achievesorgasm, she"sitsboltupright witha shout. . . laughs
as
hysterically,before, but doesn'tstop. laughs laughsandlaughs
She and
untilsheisn'tlaughinganymore,shes crying herheartout.Shecollapses
again and lies still"
(27).30 Cates flights betterplace,expressedbut
to a
unexplained in thetext,necessitate leavingherbody,a space ruthlessly
markedbyIan. The soldieralso seemsto choosedeathas a wayoutof
thespace,leavingthesulliedfleshbehind.Thebodycomestostandfora
worldofchronicpain,vulnerability, andritualized imperialist demarca-
tion,onlymildly(and perhapstentatively) remedied by corporealau-
tonomy. Bytheend,Catelearnsto adaptwithoutescape,facingtheraw
and relentless acheoftheworldoftheplaybygainingsymboliccontrol
overherbody.In theplaysclosingmoments, shereturns withfoodbut
at a cost,as "thereis blood seepingfrombetweenherlegs"(60). Kanes
playrepresents a sterileandself-destructiveworldthatunderstands bodies
onlyas spaceforterritorial aggression anddefense, whatIan describesas
"soldiersscrewing each otherfora patch ofland" (48).31Identityis staked
outon bodiesand spaces.Generally, then,Kanesworkis characterized
bycomplexfigurations oftheatricalspacenavigated byincreasingly dis-
possessedand disembodiedcharacters.
The secondmajortechniqueusedbyKaneis hergraphicdepiction
oftheviolatedbody,and againcriticshad a fieldday.Whentheinitial
productionhitthemediafan,itsdirectorJamesMacdonalddefended
Kanes "bold but assuredtreatment of timeand place,"missedby the
criticswho only saw "a catalogue unmentionable
of acts."32
Variously
characterized as partof the"NewBrutalism ,""Neo-Jacobeanism," and
"In-Yer-Face Theater," Kanes has
dramaturgy brought degree a of con-
troversy to the Englishstageas intenseas thatwhichsurroundedthe
workofEdwardBond and HowardBrenton, againcenteredaroundis-
suesof corporealdisplay.Thirtyyearsago,scholarJohnRussellTaylor
characterized variouscontemporary playwrights byisolatingtheirmi-
lieu:"childmurder, sexmurder, rape,homosexuality, transvestism, reli-
giousmania,powermania,sadism, masochism."33 In the mid- 1990s, little

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 Wixson
Christopher 83

seemsto have changed.JackTinkers Daily Mail headlinereferred to

Blastedas a "disgusting MichaelBillington
feastoffilth."34 in theGuard-
ian attackedKanes Blasted(1995) bycataloging theactsofatrocity that
occurin theplaywitha kindof macabretabloidfascination typicalin
Ians reporting.35As PeterBuse argues,Blasters"events[are]in excess
ofourframesofreference [and]traumais notjusta crisisinthememory
ofthetraumatized subjectbuta crisisinrepresentationandnarration."36
Clearlyinterested in representing pain as partofherlargermissionto
interrogate convention, Kane, likeHowardBrentonin The Romansin
Britain(1981) beforeher,usesstagedsodomy(amongotheracts)as both
a metaphor forimperialconquestandas an attackon spectatorial sensi-
bility.37
Attempting to resistessentialist
notionsofidentity, Kanes primary
thematic focusis culturalviolence,as shewantsto avoid
an over-emphasison sexualpolitics(or racialor classpolitics)[because
theyare] a diversion
fromourmainproblem[as] class,race,and gender
divisionsaresymptomatic ofsocietiesbasedon violenceor thethreatof
violence,notthecause.38
Blasteddepictstheviolencethatunderliesall symbolicmapping(Cates
and Ians rape)as wellas focusinguponthewaysinwhichthecorporeal
eludesorientational
inscription.ElaineScarry, inherintroduction
to The
in
Body Pain, writesthat "physicalpain does not simplyresist
language
but activelydestroysit."39The bodyis a sourceof agonybut also be-
comesthefoundation forresistance.
JeanieFortearguesthatthetheaters
primarycanvasis thebodyforarticulating and crossingthelimitsof
discourse:
In myinitialinterest in theapparentlimitsoftheory(whichI now per-
ceivealso as thelimitsoflanguage),theinability
oftheorytomanifest the
material,or usefulbody,I searchedforthosecircumstances in whichthe
bodyis undeniable,whenthebody'smaterialpresenceis a conditionof
thecircumstance. one is thatofpain,and anotheris thatof
Interestingly,
liveperformance: twocaseswhenthebodymustbe acknowledged.40
Kanedeployssuchmateriality intheformofbodiesinpainandpleasure
to disruptconventional
theater language,but,in so doing,givesriseto a
new mode of representation. If stagedbodies in agonyforeground
theatersshortfall
ofiterability,
theyalso workin accordwithKanesspa-
tialdisruptions.
Scarrysuggests thatapprehension ofanothers painis in

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84 Drama
Comparative

parttheawakening totheexistence ofulterior place,inthattheverbalor

visualexpressionof pain "[belongs]to an invisiblegeography."41 This
effectiswhatunitesKanespolesofspaceandtheabjectbody,awakening
heraudienceto a newunderstanding ofspaceand identity, one perhaps
alivewithpoliticalpotentialin eradicating aggression andbrutality.
Near theplays conclusion,alienatedspace and alienatedidentity
becomeoneas Ian,likeCateatthebeginning oftheplay,mergeswithhis
environment, helpless and victimized. Like the sufferersin thesoldiers
stories,Ianandthedeadchildbecomepartofthefragmented stagespace,
theirbodiestellingthetaleoftheirsuffering. The babyCateburiesun-
derthestagefloorboards becomesspatial, partofthecontemporary land-
scapethatdestroys innocenceandvitality.42 Afterthebabys death,Cate
prays that it willnot "go bad places"(58), wishingthebabyto a better
place.Jealousofthechild'sfatalescapefromtheworldorperhapsitslack
of ongoingsuffering, Ian attempts to takethedeceasedbaby'splace in
thespacebyeatingthechild,an ironicactofbodilypreservation as he
climbsin thegraveand Kanes slyand decidedlyimmodestallusionto
Jonathan Swiftsmodestproposal.Rippingtheburialcrossfromthe
ground, Ian climbsintothechild'sgraveinthefloorboards, andthestage
directions say he "dies with relief"
(60). However, afteritbeginsto rain,
he says"Shit," echoinghisopeninglineaboutthehotelroom.Deathand
itspromiseofa betterplacebecomesanotherspacethateludesand be-
trayshim,and Ian mustaccepthimself as partofthelandscape,as space
to be conquered, as entirelyand miserably vulnerable.
Aloneonstage, Ian facesthegrimreality ofthehumancondition, as
Kane uses pain to reduce"itssubjectto a stateanteriorto language."43
Shealternates pulsesofdarknessandlightwithimagesofa patheticIan
trying to kill himself, "laughinghysterically," masturbating, havinga
nightmare, crying,and"hugging theSoldier's bodyforcomfort" (59-60).
One ofKane'scollageofimagesofIan has him"shitting" and"thentry-
ingtocleanitup witha newspaper" (59). Ian'stidyingofthespace,using
one ofhisowntabloidnewspapers, is anotherdesperateattempt atcon-
trolovera bodyand a spacefromwhichhe is dispossessedthoroughly.
Kane'sevocationofIan'sopeninglineatthispointmaysuggestthatIan is
in a newexistential place thanhe was at theplay'sbeginning, a better
place perhapsfor"shitting." The biologicalprocess which in the plays

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 Wixson
Christopher 85

openinglinestoodforthecontemptuous, unstableauthority ofa tempo-

rary tenant becomes theemblem ofsocial andexistentialimpotency Fit-
tingly,whenhe findsattheendoftheplaythathe cannotdie andcannot
findrelief,Ians frustration andwretchedness findexpression inthesame
word.As Beckettdoes withGodot'sPozzo,KanestripsawayIans delu-
sionsof dignity, superiority,and willfulblindnessto presenttheaudi-
encewitha morehonestifshameful self-image,brightened onlybythe
presenceofCate,theonlycharacter whois mobileattheend.Aftereat-
ing herfill,Cate eventually sharesherfoodwithIan,whois uncharacter-
isticallythankful. Our lastimageof Cate is ofhersuckingherthumb.
Althoughambiguous,theconclusionseemsguardedlyhopeful,as Ian
(clearlyatrockbottom)matures anda strongerCate,whoretainsvirtues
ofinnocenceand kindnesslackingin thisworld,is born.Provocatively,
Kane pointedoutthat"theplaycollapsesintoone of Cates fits,"44 sug-
gesting thattheplayitselfmovestoa better placewithatleastthepoten-
tialforsecurity and fulfillment.45
Scarryunderstands "verballyexpressing pain [as] a necessarypre-
ludeto thecollectivetaskofdiminishing pain."46As such,sheenvisions
of
images pain inducingsympathy from theviewer,inspiringthemto
end thesuffering as iftheythemselves werethevictim.Kane takesthis
analogical identification a stepfurther,
collectively
brutalizing audience
andcharacter, blurring thelinesbetweenvictimandvictimizer, allowing
no spaceformerewitnesses andbystanders.Kanes narrativehemorrhages
and hyper- realisticpresentationoftraumamakeBlasted,in herwords,
"experiential ratherthanspeculative":
The titlerefersnot onlyto thecontentbut also theimpactit seemsto
havehadon audiences.Whatmakestheplayexperiential is itsform[which
puts] the audience throughthe experiencetheyhave previouslyonly
witnessed....The formand contentattemptto be one. The formis the
meaning.47
Bycreatingthesame alienatedsensibilityin heraudiencefromwhich
hercharacterssuffer,by disorientingconventional
interpretivecogni-
tionand engendering audiencediscomfort withrepresentationsofvio-
lence,Kaneis abletoformulatea morepowerful examinationofidentity
and politics,launchinga severeindictment
of ethicalapathy.Far from
mereshocktactics,Kanes dramaturgical maneuversare calculatedto
a
provoke complexresponse.

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86 Drama
Comparative

Kanes visionthat"thebestartis subversive

Fulfilling in formand
content,"48 theplays formdeterioratesintoa snapshotseriesof Ian's
frustrated withinwhichhe is completely
existence, strippedofhis in-
dividuality and becomesa Beckettian visionof thehumancondition,
theculmination oftheplays multipledisruptions ofspaceand concern
withalienatedidentity. ForKane,the"painful" experienceof Blastedis
preciselythatitforcesus toconfront,
inherwords, "[our]ownfragility,"49
epitomizedby the of
sequence images of Ian. Itseffectunitestheplays
strandsofspatial,temporal, and ontologicaldisturbances and becomes
in a wayschizophrenic:50
Schizophrenicexperienceis an experienceofisolated,disconnected,dis-
continuous materialsignifiers
whichfailtolinkup ina coherent sequence.
The schizophrenic thusdoes not knowpersonalidentity in our sense,
sinceour feelingof identity
dependson our senseof thepersistenceof
the"I" and the"me"overtime.51
In a largersense,all oftheplaysmaterialsignifiers, rangingfrombodily
display to shattered sexual
walls, brutality to cannibalism, theold
refute
boundaries.Privacyin identity andproperty and theethicaleuthanasia
itperforms aredestroyed, andKanebringstheaudiencetowhatshecalls
"a crisisofliving,"52
theendofinsulated In doingso,herwork
interiority.
alignsitselfwiththatofothercontemporary femaleEnglishplaywrights,
likeCarylChurchilland Tunberlake Wertenbaker, who articulatethe
politicsofa globalcommunity intheirworkand exploreissuesofcom-
munalresponsibility andidentityinthefaceofcrumbling colonial,capi-
and
talist, patriarchal systems.Fantasized and barriersthat
fetishized
enableanalgesicdisavowalinthefaceofpoliticalartas wellas theevening
newsareblastedin Kanesplayalongwithotherkindsofpoliticizedhi-
erarchiesof gender,sexuality, and FirstWorld/Third World.Fromthe
devastation comesa moreinclusive, collectivevisionofhumanity.
Kanes reimagined community destroys anynotionofprivatespace
(privateproperty) justas sheillustratesa visionofcommunal, notindi-
vidualidentity. She does so bymakinghappenwhatwe feelshouldnot
happen in thisspace.She bringsforeignwarsand globalpolitics,not
meantto belongin a Leeds hotelroom,to thepersonalinteraction of
Cate and Ian.She stagestheunthinkable in hideousactsofcrueltyand
humandegradation notmeantto be shownon a stage.She evokesand

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 Wixson
Christopher 87

effacesactualand conceptualdivisions, fromthefourth wallto Ians eu-

phemistic tabloid to
language totalizing national boundaries,between
personalandpublicspace,todestroy thenotionthatatrocityoccurs"over
there"and confront the audiencewithour ethicalculpability and re-
as
sponsibility partofa globalcommunity. Ultimately,then,Blastedis an
experiment in euthenics that, in thewords of one "blastsitsown
critic,
structureapart"53and,through these
environmental ruptures,transforms
viewersintoalienatedexileswithina remappedtheatrical space.Such
disorientatingmoments of a
pain provide glimpse of radicalnarrative
and act as ontologicalbombshellsforcharacters
alterity and audiences
alike.Theserecentplaysinsistently raisethequestionofrepresentation
withtheirspace-shifting, alienatingspectaclesof sex and violence,
recastingtheirstructureas fragmentary, andvigorously
evasive, abstract,
inordertoexplorenewwaysofconceptualizing and
subjectivity theatri-
cal representationamongtheruins.
EasternIllinoisUniversity

NOTES
1 For instance,the murderof thewhite
patriarchat theend of act 1 of CarylChurchill's
influentialplay Cloud 9 (1979) does not lead the survivingcharactersto a stateof reliefand
freedom butincreaseddisorientation, andbitter
self-recrimination, nostalgia.Morerecently,Patrick
Marber'sCloser (1997) stagesan entirescene in cyberspace, a siteseeminglyinfusedwiththe
potentialofdemocratic
liberating negotiationofidentities
anderoticpractices. Yet,besidestrading
in theusual misogyny and patriarchalcontradiction,theirinteractionin a chatroomconfersno
lastingsatisfactionor coherence.Rather,it becomesanotheremblemof alienation,no help in
suturingthefractured subject,anathemato an antioppressive politic.Whileitpromisesidentity
and desireas fluid,mobile,and irreducibleto binarycategories,thisnewworlddisordercannot
evadethelogicofOthernessthatgovernshowspaceis organizedand howtheselfis understood.
2 Sarah Kane, Sarah Kane:
CompletePlays (London: Methuen,2001), 3. All subsequent
quotationsare fromthisedition.
3 In his
essay"Of OtherSpaces,"trans.JayMiskowiec,Diacritics,16,no. 1 (spring1986):
22-27,MichelFoucaultchoosesthetheateras hisprimary exampleto illustratetheheterotopia's
spatialjuxtapositionof irreconcilable
places.
4AleksSierz,In-Yer-FaceTheater:BritishTheater
Today(London:Faberand Faber,2001),
99.
5 Una Chaudhuri,
StagingPlace: The GeographyofModernDrama (Ann Arbor:Univer-
sityofMichiganPress,1995),6.
6Sierz,102.

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88 Drama
Comparative
7Ibid.,102.

8Ibid.,102.

9Heidi on
Stephensonand NatashaLangridge,
eds.,Rageand Reason:WomenPlaywrights
(London:Methuen,1997),130.
Playwriting
10GrahamSaunders,"Love Me or Kill Me": Sarah Kane and the Theatreof Extremes
(Manchester:ManchesterUniversity Press,2002),9. SinceSaundersdoes sucha finejob analyz-
ing Kane's"non-realism"
as well as Blasted'sexplicitallusionsto theworkof playwrights like
Ibsenand Chekhov(8-12; 41-45), I willnotspendtimein myargumentdoingso.
11Ibid.,8. Saunderseven
speaksof David Greig'sfearof Kane'sworkundergoinga "colo-
nizingcriticalprocess"(xi) as scholarscompeteto map thesymbolicsignificanceof theplays.
12Chaudhuri,55.

13Sierz,96.

14Michael TheLifeand WorkofHaroldPinter(London:Faberand Faber,1996).

Billington,
Billingtonalso extolsPinter'sAshes to Ashes (1996), praisingthe settingof a countryhouse
outsideof London againsta "backgroundofbarbarismand cruelty" (375). The similarities
be-
tweenAshesandBlastedaretoonumerous tolistbutincludea flexibility
ofsetting(whatBillington
praisesas "theplay [existing]in severaldimensionsat once" [382]) and the symbolicdeploy-
mentofa babyin theirclosingmoments. Again,Billington'scommentsaboutPinter'splaycould
applyequallyto the much malignedBlasted:Ashes to Ashes"getsunderone's skin precisely
because it is not dealingwithsome alien or distantworld:it acknowledgesthe potentialfor
oppressionand resistancethatlies,withinall ofus"(382). In a play"whichforcesmento exam-
inetheirownsexualcoerciveness andwomentheirownguiltycompliance," Billingtonsees Pinter
pointingout whatKane does, that"thereis no 'them* and 'us',and thatthe Fascistinstinctis
universaland compatiblewitha regardwiththeexternalformsof civilization" (382-83).
15Ibid.,330.

16Ibid.,289,330.

17Ibid.,331.

18Ibid.,331.

19Sierz,107.As a side note,

BillingtonmentionsSarahKane onlyonce in his biographyin
thecontextofPinter's viewson politicaldrama,statingthatPinter"lamentedthemarginalisation
ofBondand Brenton, and becamea keenadmireroí SarahKane'sexplosiveBlasted"( 132; italics
mine).The wordmakesPinter'ssupportoftheplayseempatronizing and moreakinto a suitor
thana fellowplaywright. To be fair,though,Billingtonwas obviouslynotalone in his dismissal
of Kane'sworkas puerile.Later,in a reviewof JamesMacdonald's2001 revivalof Blastedafter
Kane'ssuicide,Billingtonadmitsthathis previousreviewwas "rudelydismissive"(42 1) and
goeson to extolthevirtuesoftheplay,makingconnectionsto AshestoAshesamongothertexts.
Althoughhe stillfindsBlastedoverlysimplistic and polemicalat times,he grudginglyadmitted
itspoeticismand underlying unity.
20 334.
Billington,
21In fact,the leviedagainstPartytime
levelsagainstBlastedweresimilarly
chargesBillington
byotherplaywrights: "EdwardBond complainedaboutthelackofexplicitidentifiable commit-
ment,and JohnMcGrathtalkedof theplaybeing'unconcretised' and the action'takenout of
. . [John]Ardens pointwas thathe wantedto knowwhowas conductingtherevolution
context'..

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 Wixson
Christopher 89

in the streets:if,forexample,it was a socialistoverthrow of a corrupt,Fascistregime,thenit

wouldalterhisjudgmentoftheplay"(Billington, 333-34).
22Saunders,9.

23Sierz,95-6.

24Chaudhuri.il.

25 inAmericandrama,suchspacesproliferate.
Especially Temporary embody
spacesfrequently
thesocial marginalization fromhotelsin Barry'sHotel Universe
and/oralienationofcharacters,
and Williams'sNightof theIguana,to boardinghousesin Luce'sThe Womenand Ferber'sStage
Door, to bars in RobertPatrick'sKennedy'sChildren,
WilliamSaroyan'sThe Timeof YourLife,
and O'Neill'sAnna Christieand TheIcemanCometh.
26Chaudhuri,244.

27The soldier'schoiceofwordscan be readas a

cheekyallusionto ThorntonWilder'sOur
Town,a playthatin itsdistinctive theorganizationoftheatricalspace in real-
styledeconstructs
ismand thematically respondsto anxietiesengenderedbyHitler'sruthlessterritorial
expansion
throughEuropein the 1930s.
28Whilethesoldier's
plea to remember
himseemsquiteChekhovianin nature,Kane clearly
is alludingto SamuelBeckett'sWaitingforGodot
Boy:Whatam I to tellMr.Godot,sir?
Vladimir:Tellhim ... Tellhimyou saw me and that... thatyou saw me. (106)
BothVladimirand theSoldierareassertingtheirpresencein an imaginedspace as a wayto
alleviatetheirsuffering.
29 ofhis traumaas well
Oddlyenough,thesoldier'sritualistic and re-enactment
description
as Ian'srestagingof Cate'srape are quitesimilarto thewaysin whichthecritics'reviewswith
perversepleasurecataloguedfortheirreadersthegraphicstageacts and,in reviewsof subse-
quentKane plays,returnedto thelanguageand experienceofBlasted.The mediawas desperate
too to printsolicitedquotationsfrom"average"audiencemembersafterseeinga performance,
allowingreadersto experiencevicariously thetraumaagainand again.
30Kane
maybealludingto Shakespeare's
TitusAndronicuswho,afterdiscoveringthedepth
of his family's
victimization, by laughing,a fiercelyantisentimental
respondsinexplicably re-
sponsethatlaysthegroundwork forrevengeservedcool.
31Ian'scareless
phraseis connectedprofoundly
to Kanes centralconcernsof spatialand
bodilyviolationcommittedin thenameof imperialist and consumeristagendas,extendingto
Englanditselfwiththe sardonicimageof patriotismto complementthe initialproduction's
programmeillustration of a "grinning
BritishTommy,of theSecondWorldWar . . . givinga V-
sign"(Sierz,93).
32Sierz,97.

33JohnRussell
Taylor,"BritishDramatists:The New Arrivals:The Dark Fantastic,Plays
and Players18,no. 5 (1970-71): 24-27.
34Sierz,94-95.

35Absentfromthelistof atrocities
thoughis Iarisrape of Cate,whichhappensduringa
blackout.Kane'sdecisionnot to representsuch an act onstage,particularly
withina play de-
signedto shockitsaudiences,pointsperhapsto theculture's
inurednumbness(or evenpotential

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90 Drama
Comparative
titillated
arousal)withsuchscenes.Perhapsmorealarmingly,in heraestheticization
ofbodiesin
pain and violence,Kane choosesto omitCate'srapebecausetheacthas been accommodatedin
theeconomyofmaleheterosexual desire.LikeBrecht,
shemayalso wantto avoidsentimentaliz-
ingtherelationship,especiallyconsideringtheemotionalinvestment theaudiencealreadyhas
in Cate.The choicemayfurther echo whatfeminist dramaticscholarshavearguedfordecades
aboutthewaysin whichviolenceagainstwomenis inherentto suchtheatricalstyles.
36PeterBuse,"Traumaand in Blasted- KanewithFelman,"in Drama + Theory:
Testimony
CriticalApproachestoModernBritishDrama(Manchester: Manchester
UniversityPress,2001),
182.
37Kane and Brenton's thematicuse of sodomiticalimagesechoestheterm'spolysemantic
propertiesin the earlymodernperiod.Beforethe emergenceof the modernconstructof the
male "homosexual,"the significant gap betweenpersonalfeelingsof homosexualdesireand
social sanctionsand moralimperativesagainstsodomycreateda definitionalincoherence,a
semanticambiguity, in theideologicaldiscourseofsexuality.
GregoryBredback,in Sodomyand
Interpretation:Marloweto Milton(Ithaca:CornellUniversity Press,1991), arguesthe terms
in seventeenth-century
elasticity ofmeaningsdid
religiousand legaldiscourse.The multiplicity
notdisruptthedemonizingsocial forceof thetermand underscoresitsoppositionalrelation-
shipto regulatory structures,thenor now.In a morematerialsense,however,manyhave seen
homophobicbacklashin theproliferation ofrepresentationsofanal sexas violentand humiliat-
ingin playsof the 1990s.
38
Stephensonand Langridge,134.
39Elaine
Scarry,TheBodyin Pain (NewYork:OxfordUniversity
Press,1985),4.
40JeanieForte,"Focuson the in
Body:Pain,Praxis,and Pleasurein FeministPerformance,"
CriticalTheoryand Performance, ed. JanelleG. Reineltand JosephR. Roach (Ann Arbor:Uni-
versityofMichiganPress,1992),251.
41 3.
Scarry,
42This choice sets Blasted'sdead
babyin contrastto thosein EdwardAlbee'sA Delicate
Balance and Who'sAfraidof VirginiaWoolf?and thebabystonedto deathin EdwardBond's
Saved,aligningitselfratherwithSam Shepard'ssymbolicdeployment oftheburiedchildin his
playofthesame name.
43Forte,251.

44
Stephensonand Langridge,134.
45Hercommentalso works
againstPeterBuse'spsychoanalytic analysisofthefitsas partof
Cate'spsychologicalmechanicsofrepression and disavowal.Whilethesefitsareconsistentwith
Cate'songoingresistanceto and evasionof Ian'sadvances,it is importantnot to see themas
emptysignifiersin thetext.Rather,Cate describesa journeyto an ulterior,
potentially redemp-
tivespace.Buse understandstheworkand thedynamicsoftheplaywithina limitingFreudian
contextthatenvisionstheirgoalas workingthroughthetrauma.PartofBuse'sdifficulty withhis
readingis howslipperyBlastedis whenone looksfortheoverdetermined psychology ofrealism.
Kane eschewssuch patternsof psychology and theconceptof traumaas a treatablecondition
evenas sherejectsin Blastednotonlyartisticand mediamodesofdisavowalbutalso an Aristo-
teliandramaticstructure telosin catharsis.
thatlocatesa definitive
46 9.
Scarry,
4/Sierz,98.

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 Wixson
Christopher 91
48
Stephensonand Langridge,130.
49Sierz,94.

50Kane herselfused thetermto describeBlasters

responseto [actualatroci-
"imaginative
ties]in an odd theatricalform,apparently
broken-backed (Stephensonand
and schizophrenic"
Langridge,131).
51FredericJameson,"Postmodernismand Consumer
Society,"in The Anti-Aesthetic:
EssaysonPostmodernCulture,ed. Hai Foster(Seattle:Bay,1983),119.
52Sierz,106.

53Charles
Spencer,reviewofBlasted,as performedbytheRoyalCourtTheatre,theJerwood
TheatreDownstairs,London,Daily Telegraph, TheatreRecord,4 May2001,419.

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