Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

This paper examines the creation of subject (the protagonist Christopher) and identity in Simon Stephens’ play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The Curious Incident features vulnerability, dishonesty, different personalities, trust, experiences that go beyond the character’s bounds...

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Main Author: Mesut Günenç
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The English Language and Literature Research Association of Türkiye 2022-10-01
Series:Ideas: Journal of English Literary Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2329142
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author Mesut Günenç
author_facet Mesut Günenç
author_sort Mesut Günenç
collection DOAJ
description This paper examines the creation of subject (the protagonist Christopher) and identity in Simon Stephens’ play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The Curious Incident features vulnerability, dishonesty, different personalities, trust, experiences that go beyond the character’s bounds and relationships between subjects and identities. Christopher is incapable of understanding and knowing himself; as a result, Christopher must learn to rewrite his existence and life in order to reveal his individuality and uncover himself. In opposition to the idea of living inside the confines of universally accepted rules, the play offers a different and autonomous definition of subjectivity which deconstructs accepted rules. The subject tries to exist in a form of power that classifies the individual in society and stigmatises him/her with his/her own individuality. This study, focusing on Alain Badiou’s theory of subjectivation and within this context, his four terms (event, truth, body and present) in general and adding a fifth section as the event of daily life, argues that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time depicts a collective subject similar to Badiou’s figure: a subject who rejects ordinary forms of communication for alternatives to authority and its structural inequalities.
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spelling doaj-art-091749c27d85419f80e72843bbce9aa02025-01-05T20:21:28ZengThe English Language and Literature Research Association of TürkiyeIdeas: Journal of English Literary Studies2757-95492022-10-0122152162Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMesut Günenç0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7077-1914Aydın Adnan Menderes UniversityThis paper examines the creation of subject (the protagonist Christopher) and identity in Simon Stephens’ play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The Curious Incident features vulnerability, dishonesty, different personalities, trust, experiences that go beyond the character’s bounds and relationships between subjects and identities. Christopher is incapable of understanding and knowing himself; as a result, Christopher must learn to rewrite his existence and life in order to reveal his individuality and uncover himself. In opposition to the idea of living inside the confines of universally accepted rules, the play offers a different and autonomous definition of subjectivity which deconstructs accepted rules. The subject tries to exist in a form of power that classifies the individual in society and stigmatises him/her with his/her own individuality. This study, focusing on Alain Badiou’s theory of subjectivation and within this context, his four terms (event, truth, body and present) in general and adding a fifth section as the event of daily life, argues that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time depicts a collective subject similar to Badiou’s figure: a subject who rejects ordinary forms of communication for alternatives to authority and its structural inequalities. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2329142the curious incidentsubjectivationalain badioure-creation of the charactersimon stephens
spellingShingle Mesut Günenç
Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Ideas: Journal of English Literary Studies
the curious incident
subjectivation
alain badiou
re-creation of the character
simon stephens
title Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
title_full Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
title_fullStr Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
title_full_unstemmed Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
title_short Re-Creation of the Character and Subjectivation in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
title_sort re creation of the character and subjectivation in the curious incident of the dog in the night time
topic the curious incident
subjectivation
alain badiou
re-creation of the character
simon stephens
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2329142
work_keys_str_mv AT mesutgunenc recreationofthecharacterandsubjectivationinthecuriousincidentofthedoginthenighttime