THE IRRUPTION OF DIEGESIS: DEFORMATION OF MIMETIC REPRESENTATION IN 20th CENTURY THEATRE

Abstract

Leading theatre scholars of the 1980's argue that the idea of theatre since Ancient Greece is framed by a diegetic universe, even though it has been shaped by mimesis, which is normally contrasted with diegesis. This view emphasises the dominant status of the text in the theatre and the logocentric structure of the theatre based on speech. At this point, the terms diegesis and mimesis are used with their broad meanings in an Aristotelian sense. On the other hand, these terms are used today with their narrow meanings in narratology as telling and showing modes of the narrative. This article aims to evaluate the terminological confusion when the terms are used in theatre with their narrow meanings in narratology, as opposed to the debate carried out in the theatre academy of the 20th century. From this starting point, the article first exposes the terminological confusion arising from using the terms diegesis and mimesis with their narrow and broad meanings. Second, the irruption of diegesis in the mimetic scene is explored by concentrating on the telling mode in the plays of Gertrude Stein and Heiner Muller. Lastly, the structural results of diegesis standing out as a dominant element in 20th century theatre are evaluated.