Sounding Ionesco: Problems in Translating La Lecon and Jacques ou La Soumission

Authors

Richard Takvorian, University of Aachen
Michael Spingler, Clark University

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

Ionesco's experiments with theatrical language confront the translator with a number of difficulties. The experiments, and thus the difficulties, are rooted in the idea of sounding, that is, the way language functions as vocal gesture and sonic event within the performed work. A central idea concerning language dominates the early plays: words are concrete elements of the theatrical process. They are valuable not only because they refer to something else, but because they function in their own right as vocal objects and events.

Recommended Citation

Takvorian, Richard and Spingler, Michael (1983) "Sounding Ionesco: Problems in Translating La Lecon and Jacques ou La Soumission," Comparative Drama: Vol. 17: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol17/iss1/3