신고전주의 시대에 발원한 반(反)-생명적인 ‘틀’로서의 플롯 - 장 라신의 <페드르>를 중심으로

Abstract

The main point of this thesis is to raise fundamental issues concerning the origin of the conventional dramatic linearity, stemming from French neoclassical theater. The primary focus of Aristotle’s plot lies not in its formalism but rather in the impetus for characters to act autonomously, a concept later inherited, particularly by Umberto Eco and Francisco Varela, as the principle of autopoiesis in life. However, as we transit from the Greek era through the Roman period to the French neoclassical era, the essence of Greek drama which originally emphasized self-creation has been inherited to the logic of conventional drama as a model for imitation. This thesis critically examines the limitations of the logic of representation, inherently in opposition to self-creation, and first compares the theatrical structures of the Greek and French neoclassical eras in Chapter 2. The Greek theater, as a stage that enabled connection with others, fostering continuity of life and reflection on life, transformed into a framework imposing the logic of representation by presupposing separation from others as we transition to the neoclassical era. Chapter 3 analyzes the emergence of plots trapped within the framework of representation, analyzing Jean Racine's <Phaedra>. Initially analyzing the actions in this work and examining the nature of non-actuated actions passively performed under overwhelming external circumstances, contrasting with the actions in Greek theater driven by autonomy, this thesis reveals the paradoxical and isolating nature of the language in this era. Ultimately, in the theater of this era, plots are formulated as anti-life forms following non-actuated actions and the paradoxical language. Thus, the plot of the neoclassical era presented here forms the basis of the conventional dramatic linearity up to the contemporary era.