TRANSLATION:
Answer each question separately with a full paragraph. (note: this is not an essay; address exclusively and precisely the purpose of each question separately). Be specific: do not start thinking too vague (on humanity, etc.), but read the texts carefully and quote the text in quotes (“…”) and with the page numbers in parentheses (eg: p. 232), to support your arguments.
1) According to your reading of the two short texts of Artaud, “Manifesto for an aborted theater” and “Theater and Cruelty”, what major differences the author makes between, on the one hand his vision of a new theater? and, on the other, classical theater or cinema. Find a quote (with page number) in the texts that you think describes the main features of what Artaud calls “the Theater of Cruelty”, and explain this quote, in your own words, in a few sentences.
2) In “Wordless Act 1”, analyze the relationship of objects and the whistle with the character. In a few sentences: how do you explain the condition of the character on stage? What do you think this condition would be the metaphor for?
3) Compare the English video adaptation of “Catastrophe” (available on Blackboard) with the original French text: what difference do you find between the adaptation and the text? (Give a quote to prove your point.) Does the difference matter?
4) Compare the two “dramaticules” “Speechless Act 1” and “Catastrophe”. What do the two protagonists have in common? According to you, what comments do these two texts make on the entertainment industry?
