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未命名 2
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Gatherers (unpublished)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Times in It (unpublished)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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