The significance of historisation to both the form and the content of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls

The significance of historisation to both the form and the content of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls

David Barnett points out that €œhistoricization is a form of Verfremdung in that it makes the familiar strange€ (http://brechtinpractice.org/theory/historicization/). Taking Barnett’s remark as a starting point, write an essay discussing the significance of historicization to both the form and the content of Top Girls. You should support your arguments by close reference to the play, the context from which it emerged and any essay(s) in the course Dossier that you consider relevant (at least one of the critical essays in the Course Dossie).

The significance of historisation

Sample Solution

 

At his conversion/calling, Paul was commanded to open the eyes and turn them from darkness to light (Acts 26:18). Although Paul was blinded after his encounter with the Lord, Ananias laid hands on Paul, “something like scales” fell from his eyes (Acts 9:18), and he was able to see. He had first-hand knowledge and experience of turning from darkness to light, and his command from the Lord was as clear as his newly regained sight. Content to allude to Paul’s blindness and recovery as historical events, Luke wishes by a sober narration of carefully selected facts to make it clear that Paul’s meeting with Christ is not to be classed with other visions, however supernatural, but is to be accepted on a par with the other appearances of the Risen Lord. So Paul goes from opposing God and persecuting Jesus to joining the persecuted side. A The significance of historisation  fter spending several days with the disciples at Damascus, Saul went into the synagogues and boldly proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). Krister Stendahl argues that a proper interpretation of Romans 7 shows that Paul, as a loyal Jew, had experienced no struggle or guilt feelings that would have led him, thro The significance of historisation  ugh dissatisfaction with the law, to turn to Christ….Neither did he suffer from an introspective conscience…..Stendahl prefers to regard him as someone who did not abandon his Jewishness for a new religion but, rather, as a Jew who was given a new vocation in service of the Gentiles. The description, in Acts, of Paul’s sudden conversion on the road to Damascus is primarily the creation of Luke; Paul’s biographer. Luke’s description of Paul is not impartial biography either, for it was intended to dramatize the early church’s journey from Judea into the gentile world. In some ways Luke downplays Paul’s claims, but he uses Paul’s life and mission to illustrate the destiny of Christianity. Many of the details of Paul’s life come from Luke since most biographical details are missing from Paul’s own letters. Luke’s description of Paul’s conversion draws on the Hebrew Bible for themes of prophetic calling, paralleling the commissioning of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5-11) and Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-9). Paul’s “calling”, and ultimate conversion to Christianity, depicts the decisive change Paul experienced. Not only was Paul’s conversion/calling remarkable with respect to his view of Jesus, but in his attitude toward Gentiles. Judaism is well known for its exclusivist attitude. It was unlawful for a Jew to have fellowship with one who is uncircumcised. Along with his conversion he received a prophetic commission to convert the gentiles. It is inadequate to speak only in terms of Paul’s conversionas if he were moving from one religion to another; and likewise only in terms of his callas if he were continuing in an unaltered faith. The conversion-call combination emphasizes both continuity and change. Stendahl challenges the appropriateness of conversion language because Paul has not changed religions, that is, he never turns from loyalties to the God with which he began. While the answer might seem clear enough, working with Stendahl’s assumptions complicates the task; and furthermore, Luke nowhere explicitly defines conversion, nor provides a consistent pattern of entry  The significance of historisation  into the church. When he does specify the means by which one joins the group, he is generally rounding out >

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