Publication

Abstract : This paper aims at analyzing Jon Fosse’s novel MelancholyI-II and the play “Someone is Going to Come” in terms of post-dramatic features and structures. The postdramatic theatrical aesthetic found in Fosse’s work, through fragmented narratives, minimalist language, and sensorially, questions the traditional concept of culture by focusing on experience and feelings. In Melancholy I–II, Fosse uses a non-linear and fragmented narrative that corresponds to the psychological and artistic crisis of the protagonist, Lars Hertervig. This is an open invitation to interpretive and performative readings that transform the process of comprehension into an active experience of the complexity and the chaotic emotional landscape of the protagonist. Someone is Going to Come employs the vagueness of space and time to enhance existential anxiety and expectation. The play’s dialogue and its focus on expressions, which include periods of silence, also contribute to the discovery and expression of feelings and states of being, which are broached in existential drama. That is why the play’s fragmented dialogue helps performers and spectators focus on characters’ inner worlds, offering an interpretive and embodied theatrical performance. Fosse’s works meet the tenets of postdramatic theatre, in which the text is present but only as a trigger for the performative experience. However, by breaking away from the written text, Fosse makes it possible for the audience and readers to have a deep experience with the playwright’s characters and issues.