商業生活與男性變／裝大衛•馬密戲劇中的身份與慾望交易

The Everyday "Business" of Performing Men Transactions of Desires and Identities in David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo, and Speed-the-Plow

郭強生(John-Sheng Kuo)

《英美文學評論》 18期 (2011/06) Pp. 169-194

https://doi.org/10.6711/REAL.201106_(18).0006

摘要

大衛•馬密(David Mamet)為美國當代最重要的劇作家之一，由於他的劇本多以男性做為主角，且對話中充滿男性世界對女性的歧視與髒話連篇，常遭評論家誤解攻擊，稱他憎惡女性(misogynistic)、恐同(homophobic)與父權主義(patriarchal)。而更有不少模仿者以為馬密劇中人的低俗粗口是現實生活的再現，或視之為陽剛氣魄代言，而忽略了在流暢生活化的台詞下，馬密對男性在日常生活中不斷需要「扮戲」(acting)的批判。評論家麥克•昆(Michael Quinn)曾點出馬密的戲劇是對「自導自演政治」(politics of self-invention)的觀察與批判：「扮戲是每日生活中的自欺與欺人(everyday deception)」，目的在「創造虛幻優勢(illusive advantage)」。威廉•狄馬司蒂斯(William W. Demastes)也說，馬密戲中「人物的語言透露的不是這些角色的真實面，而是他們如何在隱藏自己。」為何男性需要隱藏自己？甚麼樣的場域提供了他們無時無刻不在自導自演的舞台？馬密的劇場「表演」(performance)究竟又揭露了甚麼樣的「操演」(performativity)？三齣討論的劇本分別是《大亨遊戲》(Glengarry Glen Ross)、《美國水牛》(American Buffalo)、與《猛犁田》(Speed-the-Plow)。在這幾齣劇中，空間、語言、性別、權力交錯互涉，同性情慾曖昧與競爭利用相生相剋。本論文企圖從分析馬密如何藉劇場表演反詰男性日常生活中的「扮戲」出發，針對當中公領域與私領域的混淆、模糊與衝突，檢視馬密究竟是顛覆、還是維繫了商業生活中異性戀父權結構的操控。

關鍵字

大衛•馬密 ； 美國戲劇 ； 父權 ； 陽剛 ； 操演 ； 男性迷思

並列摘要

Among the most produced contemporary American playwrights, David Mamet is often misunderstood as misogynistic, homophobic and patriarchal. It is partly because his plays almost always foreground male characters whose speeches are full of filthy curses, suggestive of prejudice and discrimination against women. Many even regard those characters' foul mouths as true-to-life representation, also a reinforcement of masculine values. However, these opinions seem to overlook Mamet's portrayals of men constantly acting in everyday life. Michael Quinn, for instance, notices otherwise by saying that Mamet's drama criticizes the ”politics of self-invention”; for those men, constant acting becomes ”everyday deception” in order to create ”illusive advantage.” William W. Demastes similarly comments that the language of Mamet's characters are not revealing, but concealing who they are. Why do these men need to conceal themselves? What kind of domain facilitates such self-invention and everyday deception? Does Mamet's theatrical performance disclose any kind of performativity? To address these questions, this paper takes a close look at three of Mamet's plays, Glengarry Glen Ross, American Buffalo, and Speed-the-Plow. In addition to analyzing how space, language, gender and power intersect and how male (sexual) desires and commercial transactions blur in the plays, this paper aims to examine Mamet's theatrical strategy of performing ”men's everyday acting” through the confusion and contradiction between public and private values as seen in their acting, in hopes to determine whether Mamet subverts, or maintains the dominance of heterosexual patriarchy in the business of life/the life of business.

並列關鍵字

David Mamet ； American drama ； patriarchy ； masculinity ； performativity ； male myth

參考文獻

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Brantley, Ben. “Here, Honor Is Profane and Words Do Hurt.” New York Times 2 May 2005.Web. 29 Mar 2011. .