Striking how rapidly a questions about impersonality became a discussion of
impersonation, including those many wriitng instances where the mask of the
person being assumed belongs to a fictional or imagined entity. This is of
course the conventional technique of writing the spoken words of 'dramatis
personae' or providing spoken dialogues within prose fictions.
I have tried to have a go at this in relation to a broader category of
writings than poetry - and also as much in relation to the second as to the
first person - in a brief article called 'Missing Persons: personal pronouns
and performance writing', that appeared in the journal Performance Research,
Vol 3, No 1 (1998). Routledge provided me with a handful of off-prints of
the article. I could send one to anyone interested enough to reach me direct
(should I be saying back-channel).
John
John Hall
Vice Principal (Academic)
Dartington College of Arts
Totnes
Devon TQ9 6EJ
Direct Line: 01803 861649
Fax: 01803 866053
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