作者簡介

作品年表

討論議題

作者簡介

Frank McGuinness於一九五三年出生於愛爾蘭東尼戈省（County Donegal）最北邊的Inishowen半島上一個叫做Buncrana的小鎮，距離北愛爾蘭的邊界只有十四英里，家裡信奉天主教，父親為麵包師父，母親在成衣廠工作。McGuinness於一九七四年在都柏林大學取得英國語言與文學學士學位，一九七六年取得都柏林大學中古研究哲學碩士學位，在發表戲劇作品之餘，曾先後在都柏林大學、厄爾斯特大學（New University of Ulster, Coleraine）、聖派翠克學院（St. Patrick's College, Maynooth）任教，目前擔任都柏林大學英文系教授及駐校作家，近年來除了創作與翻譯歐洲經典戲劇作品之外，也開始發表詩作、散文、與短篇故事。

McGuinness在求學期間曾參加柏林大學戲劇社的演出，但他真正的戲劇創作生涯始於一九八零年，當年的他處於失業狀態，有一天到都柏林的愛比劇院（Abbey Theatre）看了劇作家Brian Friel的作品Faith Healer演出之後，立刻向愛爾蘭文藝協會提出作家獎助金的申請計劃，該協會介紹他參加正在高爾威（Galway）舉辦的劇本寫作工坊。寫作工坊的講師正是Patrick Mason，在Mason的指導下，McGuinness完成了他第一部作品《工廠裡的女孩們（The Factory Girls）》，一九八二年初次在都柏林的孔雀劇院（Peacock Theatre）上演時，導演即是由Mason擔任，此後McGuinness大部分的戲劇作品，也都是由Mason擔任導演。

McGuinness的成名之作是一九八五年在孔雀劇院首演的《看那些前往索穆河的厄爾斯特子弟兵們（Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme）》。McGuinness以一個愛爾蘭人的身分，想像北愛爾蘭人在第一次世界大戰加入英軍，在法國戰場上傷亡慘重的遭遇，引起極大的議論，瞬間成為討論的焦點，並且被賦與南北和解的象徵意義，甚至巡迴到英國演出。McGuinness兩年後的作品《迦太基人（Carthaginians）》，則以愛爾蘭人的角度，檢視在德瑞（Derry）發生血色星期日的屠殺事件後，天主教徒心理所受到的創傷和不安。這兩部戲劇作品分別檢視了愛爾蘭長期以來處於衝突關係的兩個族群，因而被認為是McGuinness戲劇作品中的姊妹作。

McGuinness早期的戲劇作品風格較為寫實，多具有實際歷史文化或地理位置的指涉，也帶有較多政治意涵。McGuinness在二十世紀末的戲劇作品，例如《無辜（Innocence）》、《瑪麗和莉茲（Mary and Lizzie）》、《麵包人（The Bread Man）》或是《鳥類庇護所（The Bird Sanctuary）》，則增加了許多超現實和扭曲真實人物的戲劇手法，有較多的怪奇想像，唯有描述黎巴嫩恐怖份子劫持人質事件的《會有人看顧我（Someone Who Will Watch Over Me）》、以及描述二次大戰時派駐愛爾蘭的美國大兵與愛爾蘭當地人感情交流的

《桃莉威絲特的廚房（Dolly West's Kitchen）》仍保留較直接的政治指涉。儘管創作風格有些轉變，但或許是因為McGuinness本人與男性密友Philip有半公開的同志關係，女性議題、以及男同志或女同志的情慾，卻總是McGuinness劇作中從不缺席的元素。McGuinness在兩千年之後的作品又回歸寫實，但已不是以往那種針砭政治現實的寫實，大部分是轉而描述親情、愛情、友情、信任或背叛等人類生存的情感和基本價值，諸如《金色大門（Gates of Gold）》或是《有吉普賽人騎馬而來（There Came A Gypsy Riding）》等等，顯示出隨著愛爾蘭近年來在政治與經濟上的轉變，不只是McGuinness創作的文類轉趨多元，他劇作所關切的主題也開始有所轉變了。

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作品年表

1982   The Factory Girls

1984   Borderlands

1985   Gatherers (unpublished)

Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Toward the Somme

       Baglady/Ladybag

1986            Innocence

1987   Scout (television drama)

1988   Carthaginians

       Times in It (unpublished)

       Adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt

       Direct Brian Friel's The Gentle Island

1989   Mary and Lizzie

1990   The Bread Man

       Adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters

1991   Adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera

1992   Someone Who Will Watch Over Me

1993   Adaptation of August Strindberg's The Stranger

1994   The Bird Sanctuary

       Booterstown (poetry)

       Adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabbler

1996   Adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House

1997   Mutabilitie

       Adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's The Caucasian Chalk Circle

       Adaptation of Sophocles's Electra

1998   Screenplay for Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa

1999   Dolly West's Kitchen

       The Sea with no Ships (poetry)

2000   Adaptation of August Strindberg's Miss Julie

2002   Gates of Gold

2003   The Stone Jug (poetry)

2006   Speaking Like Magpies

2007   There Came A Gypsy Riding

Isiah (short story)

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討論議題

1. Irish history and politics

    Many of McGuinness's early works are set in a specific time and space, discussing historical events happening in Ireland or Europe. What is the signification of history and historicity in these plays? Does McGuinness convey his political Utopia for Ireland or even for the whole world in these plays? By analyzing McGuinness's representation of these historical events, can we get a clear picture of the playwright's political stance in the conflict between Catholics and Protestants?

2. memory and trauma

    Historical event depicting in McGuinness's plays are usually slaughtering disasters – the two world wars, Bloody Sunday, Nazi, terrorists or captivity. Because of these disasters, many of McGuinness's characters are haunted by their memories of death. What is the significance of trauma in McGuinness's political plays? How do we interpret Irish history in the perspective of psycho analysis?

3. class and power

    Because of colonial background, different ethnicities in Ireland enjoy different social status and political power in different areas. The Catholic working class women/girls and Protestant supervisors in The Factory Girls, the soldiers and commanders in Observe the Sons, the two girls accompanying Karl and Marx in Mary and Lizzie and the captivity narrative of Someone identically suggest that class and power are associated obviously with Irish history and subtly with gender. What is the making of class and certain sanctioned privilege in Irish society? What is the significance of ethnicity and colonization in McGuinness's plays?

4. religion and artists

    Religion resides in the core of ethnic conflicts in Ireland. How does McGuinness represent religion in his plays? What is McGuinness's attitude toward Catholicism, if we further take into consideration McGuinness's homosexuality and his Catholic family background? As a contrast to religion, art seems to be a relief that the playwright resorts to. How does McGuinness present artists or characters with artistic sensibilities in his plays? Are they portrayed as outcast or secular? What is their interaction with religion in McGuinness's plays?

5. representation of Irish women

    McGuinness's initial portrait of Irish women is modeled after his mother, but as his plays come to be politicized, the representation of women in his plays is worthy of note. Ireland is often associated with a feminine image, and while dealing with political issues, female characters are usually the key of McGuinness's plays. How do female characters in McGuinness's plays reflect women's position in Irish society? What's the significance of femininity in the making of Irishness? What is women's role in the Irish nation and family? How does gender incorporated into Irish history, class, or politics?

6. gay and lesbian characters

    Homosexuality is a persistent issue in McGuinness's plays, sometimes implicit but most of the time explicit. How does McGuinness present his homosexual characters, sexual advances, and venereal diseases? What is Irish homosexual's role in colonized Ireland and post-colonial Ireland, realistically and metaphorically? Can his homosexual characters be politicized? How does homosexuality encounter Christianity in McGuinness's plays?

7. space

    The issue of space can be closely related with class and gender. When describing Irish families, how does McGuinness make use of domesticity? What is the contrast between private space and public space in McGuinness's political plays? Or what are the relationship and metaphorical significance between family, the domestic domain, and nation, the public domain?

8. influence from earlier Irish or European dramatists

    McGuinness majors in English literature in college. Once in a while he teaches history of English literature in universities. He admires Oscar Wild; in There Came A Gypsy Riding, he complains about Spencer's plays, and some lines in Carthaginians allude to Sean O'Casey's Juno and the Paycock. At the same time, he translates and adapts modern European plays, such as Ibson's and Brecht's works. Besides, he is also a friend to Brian Friel, writing the film script for Dancing at Lughnasa. How does this background influence McGuinness's themes or dramaturgy? Does McGuinness inherit something from his forerunners, or does he modify some of the traditions of Irish drama?

9. globalization

    After his success in Dublin, McGuinness's plays are revived in London; after American characters begin to show up in his plays (in Someone and Dolly West's Kitchen), McGuinness's plays even go on tour to the United States. What makes McGuinness's plays become globalized? Does McGuinness describe in his plays the changes that globalization brings to Ireland? How are capitalism and the power of commerce or trade presented in his plays?

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