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3-Mavzu.
The English drama in the XX century
The fear of a German invasion and the aerial bombardments of heavily industrialized areas
united the country and forged a spirit of comradeship among the British people. England’s most
notable postwar achievement was the peaceful liquidation of its once vast empire. This imperial
loss and domestic economic problems caused British statesmen to develop a new approach in world
affairs. Seeking closer ties with Europe, England accepted an invitation to join the common Market.
Some of the poetry of the period, particularly, the work of Dylan Thomas, was marked by an
extravagant, romantic rhetoric. The works of Ted Hughes were simpler in style, but his poetry
powerfully evokes the world of nature, using a richly textured pattern of metaphor and mythic
suggestiveness for its effects.
English drama experienced a renaissance in the 1950s and 1960s. It was stimulated by the
presence of large numbers of first-rate actors and directors and the works of playwrights like John
Osborne, John Arden, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, and Edward Bond.
In the 20th century in English Literature appeared such young writers like Graham Greene,
Charles Percy Snow, Norman Lewis, and James Aldridge, who created their works in the spirit of
optimism. They are mature writers with anti-imperialist and anti-colonial point of view. In the
fifties there appears a very interesting trend in literature the followers of which were called “The
Angry Young Men”. The post-war changes had given a chance to a large number of young people
from the more democratic layers of the society to receive higher education at universities. But on
graduating, these students found they had no prospects in life. Unemployment had increased after
the war. No one was interested to learn what their ideas on life and society were. They felt
deceived and became angry. Works dealing with such characters, angry young men, who were
angry with everything and everybody. Outstanding writers of this trend were John Wain, Kingsley
Amis, John Brain, Colin Wilson and the dramatist John Osborne. It is important to note that they
did not belong to a clearly defined movement. They criticized one another in press. But they had
one thing in common - an attitude of unconformity to the established social order. Through their
characters these writers were eager to express their anger with society.
Modern literature that began in the sixties saw a new type of criticism in the cultural life of
Britain. This criticism was revealed in the “working-class novel”, as it was called. These novels
deal with characters coming from the working class. The best-known writers of this trend are Sid
Chaplin (1916-1986), the author of “The Last Day of the Sardine” (1961), and Allan Sillitoe, the
author of the well-known novel “Key to the Door” (1963).
A great deal of contemporary English fiction and drama is dedicated to the subject of man’s
search for identity, and the stress is not so much on political or social issues as on moral problems.
The problem of identity is closely linked with one of the most influential philosophical trends of the
20th century - existentialism. According to it man must live and make his choice, must come to
terms with his own existence and the true meaning of everything around him. The influence of
existentialist ideas left a profound impression on the work of Iris Murdoch.
Writers of earlier times shared with their readers a common value system and sense of what
was significant in human life. This helped to determine their choice of subjects and themes as well
as their methods of expression. In contrast, the modern age has witnessed the disintegration of a
public background of belief, and it is their own personal visions of life and reality that modern
writers express.
This personalized view of reality has resulted in significant changes in the subject matter
and style of modern poetry and fiction. It has led to the creation of works concerned foremost with
the exploration of the moods, thoughts, and feelings of individuals - their inner life. One important
con-sequence of it has been a departure from formally plotted narratives to stories that are virtually
plotless. For example, stories such as Joyce’s “Araby” and “Eveline” and Woolf’s “The New
Dress” contain little action, but build up epiphanies, or moments of intense personal revelation.
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