During the postmodern era, the concept of ‘absolute reality’ has been replaced by the concept of ‘pluralism’. Reality in the postmodern works has been deliberately mystified to open the realm for an indefinite number of possibilities through subjective perception and interpretation. Possible Worlds Theory (PWT) is a postmodern theory that has an explanatory power in discovering the hidden layers of meanings in the work of fiction with their variable realities. Postmodern absurd drama is selected for this study because of its great potential of presenting works with no clear center and no fixed reality, leading to ambiguity which would be a rich medium for the application of PWT. Marie Laure Ryan is a literary scholar and critic whose possible worlds typologies and techniques will be applied to Miss Witherspoon (2005) by the American dramatist, Christopher Durang. The rationale behind choosing Durang’s play is that it is one of Durang’s most absurd plays which presents a rich field for PWT application. The purpose of this study is to apply Ryan’s modal system of fictional worlds, the types of possible worlds, and the typology of accessibility relations to the postmodernist absurd play, Miss Witherspoon (2005), in an attempt to unravel the possible meanings and the variable reality projected in the text. The study also highlights the different types of conflict as approached by Ryan, occurring between the different worlds and its significance in creating multiple meanings and possible realities

https://opde.journals.ekb.eg/article_77309_37f1663bce77bbb91b98a8f640121a65.pdf

Ryan’s Variable Reality in Durang’s Miss Witherspoon: A Possible-Worlds Approach

Man y critics ha ve pointed out that Jorge Luis Borges' s and John Barth' s works share clear affinities This resemblance, however, is not based on an imitation of style and content Instead, Barth adopts many ofBorges's narrative techniques and themes and adapts them to suit his own needs The result is a convergence of thought, a common response toward creation as a means of expressing their view of reality Both authors question the nature of reality and explore the possibilities that literature offers as a medium which can express a paradoxical reality that defies apprehension through language Lost in the Funhouse (1966) is Barth' s first collection of short stories They ·draw on one ofBorges's main themes: the view ofthe world as fragmentary, which is expressed by using symbols and images such as the mirror, the labyrinth or the appearances of doubles in the stories Barth hirnselfhas acknowledged hi s debt to the Argentinean author in various essays In "The Literature of Exhaustion," he pays tribute to Borges's work and points out its importance in relation to postrnodemism For him, Borges is the father of postmodemism dueto hi s innovative style and the self-reflexive aspect ofhis stories According to Barth, Borges's short stories are not to be considered as independent entities, but as parts of a whole text which express a certain view of the world and of Iiterature Barth admits that Lost in the Funhouse was inspired by Boq~es's stories He says in the foreword of the collection:

/pdf/barth-meets-borges-in-the-funhouse-3hrhivdkhb.pdf

Cristina Garrigós González

Papers

Barth meets Borges in the funhouse