Jane Denson, Jencks

        Jencks' discussion of Postmodernity and its correlation to art and architecture struck me as an enlightening analysis of the very idea that everything with our Modernist movement is connected (think of intertextuality) and falls into place together, never apart. As I read his theoretical perspective on the matter, I was constantly applying his notions and various dissections of art and architecture to the realm of theatre and specific theatrical productions I have either seen or read. What is interesting is that Modernity and Postmodernity are still relevant to this day and possess a multitude of both internal and external connections that leave humanity with a desire to engage with the subjects of whatever is being presented. In theatre, whether we are a spectator, performer, playwright, director, etc., we are always forced to rethink the socio-cultural paradigms we are so greatly accustomed to, which includes the ones of both the past and present. Essentially, theatre, like Jencks' discussion of emerging canons in Postmodern Classicism, demonstrates values of the movement that have contributed to our sense of Postmodernism in an ever-evolving world. As I unpacked Jencks' insightful theory surrounding this topic, one passage struck me rather strongly regarding how theatre factors into this equation of humanity.

"Another credible subject is the historical continuum and the relation between the past and present. This has led to an outbreak of parody, nostalgia and pastiche -- the lesser genres with which postmodernism is equated by its detractors -- but has also resulted in anamnesis, or suggested recollection. In a post-Freudian age, the unconscious is often invoked as the source of anamnesis, and it works characteristically with the juxtaposition of related and opposed fragments. Ann and Patrick Poirier have captured this logic of dreams in their fragmented constructions which combine archetypes, half-remembered myths and miniature landscapes...The enigmatic allegory makes use of dissociated and partial memories and, at best, creates a simulacrum of meaning where the overtones combine and harmonise. It is this harmonious aura which becomes the subject matter of this paradoxical genre -- a narrative without a plot. Anamnesis is one of the oldest rhetorical tropes and today has become a goal in itself" (Jencks, 1987, p. 286-288).

Once I digested Jencks' words, I was able to connect my experience with theatre text to his ideas surrounding the enigmatic allegory embedded within the relation between the past and present further within the art of a theatrical piece. The most prominent example of a dramatic text in theatre that heavily relates to these notions is Jean-Paul Sartre's French play entitled No Exit. The best way I can apply Jencks' theory here is by recognizing and further scrutinizing the highly engaging ethical dialogue between the characters. Since the play revolves around the notion of our three main characters being in hell (and also being each other's own personal hell), the piece needs to rely on what in their past brought them to hell and what they must (collectively) do in their present condition there to accept their own fate. Not only that, but the play consists of a great deal of anamnesis (suggested recollection) of the events that transpired in the characters' lives prior to their deaths. This, in turn, is layered on top of the enigmatic allegory regarding human ethics and morals because as we learn from being the reader, none of these people were virtuous by any means. The narrative has no plot, but is filled with the type of fragmentation discussed by Jencks in a manner that certainly echoes the ideas manifested by Postmodern Classicism.