Overall rating: 4.5.
Offending the audience: 4.
This is... not a story. Neither of these, really, are stories (at least, in a conventional sense), but this one especially. I understand that's the point, and admittedly, it's written well - definitely achieves it purpose. The play essentially ruminates on the idea of an audience, and the idea of theatre itself; are we really so separate from what we watch?
Handke suggests, yes, absolutely. He argues that the illusions of theatre (and, I suppose media in general) take away from the humanity of it - stuck in a temporospatial fabrication, wherein 'real time' (that of the audience), and 'false time' (that of the play) exist in opposition to one another; and thus, the experience is contrived. But he argues also that we are all, essentially, characters of theatre; with preconceptions, tropes, and expected behaviours we 'play out' on the daily.
This play, thereto, consists of nothing but 42 pages of direct address, wherein Handke insults theatre, theatre-goers, theatre conventions, and most importantly, his audience - while also providing each with its fair share of flattery. This is a confusing, sometimes boring, always ranty, and generally nothing play. There is no plot, no characters, and just a consistent stream of consciousness that often seems like it's going nowhere. That being said, that's entirely the point so... mission accomplished? I'd have given it a three I think, but there really are some lines that are absolute gems, and it got me thinking.
Self-accusation: 5.
This play also is... weird. This time, rather than using direct address, the entire thing is written through a series of 'I,' statements. It follows on from the 'birth,' of two characters, one male, one female, who are, in essence, the same person. The script has no clear indication of who should speak, or when, beyond the stage direction of 'get them to finish each others sentences, and get in each others mouths.' Handke describes, what was, to me at least, a very Lacanian dialogue surrounding the acquisition of language - how does language impact identity? Does learning to speak, or perhaps more importantly, think, prohibit us from living? Through this series of 'I' discourse, the character/s unpack how it is they came to be who they are - learning the rules of life, society, and internal morality, through what they say and what is said to them, before ultimately disavowing it all in favor of expression and truth; because, if language is the key to suffering, it is the only escape we have. I really enjoyed this one. It's also shorter, which helped.
Overall, these two texts aren't fantastic if you want to read them as a conventional tale, because really, you can't. But they're very thought-provoking, and I appreciate the twists in literary convention. Gives me much to consider when it comes to my own writing.