THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS MORE THAN JUST DÉCOR Ecocritical Points of Departure in Contemporary Theatre Studies, the First Step in Quest of Slovak Eco-dramaturgy
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IS MORE THAN JUST DÉCOR Ecocritical Points of Departure in Contemporary Theatre Studies, the First Step in Quest of Slovak Eco-dramaturgy

Summary/Abstract: The paper focuses on the mapping out of the current ecocritical discourse in drama and theatre. The theoretical approach examines models, productions, and various forms of performance with regard to the reflection on the impact of human activity on the environment. Current approaches make it possible, inter alia, to give prominence to works dealing with the relationship between man and his natural environment which, until recently, have been overlooked. There are various methods to analyse a work through ecological narrative, yet, there are simple tools that facilitate this work. Among these tools is the questionnaire of the American theatrologist Theresa J. May entitled Some Green Questions to Ask a Play. This theoretical tool was employed in the analysis of the play Margaret zo zámku [Margaret from the Castle] by the Slovak playwright Štefan Králik. One of his last plays, which has not resonated particularly well with the critique, seems to be a key contribution to the Slovak so-called eco-dramaturgy. At the same time, the study raises the question of the perception of ecologically committed plays originating in the Eastern Bloc countries and burdened with the ideology of their time. This is a specific situation that the ecocritically oriented researchers in Western countries have not been confronted with, and at the same time, it poses a challenge to the whole Eastern ecocriticism.

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