The Real Inspector Hound: A Discourse Of Postmodernism

The Real Inspector Hound: A discourse of postmodernism

In this essay we will try to explain why The Real Inspector Hound is a Postmodernist play. To do this First we must decide on what Postmodernism actually is. As many critics have written many definitions on this subject overlapping and contradicting each other it is hard to find a single definition of postmodernism. So first to embark on this journey, we are going to find and state a single definition of postmodernism and afterwards we shall apply this to The Real Inspector Hound.

What is postmodernism? As Robert Struble Jr. states in the introduction to his book Treatise to Twelve Lights "The postmodernist worldview dismisses all forms of absolutism from eras past, especially Judeo-Christian faith and morals; yet the postmodernists idolize absolutely their new secular trinity of tolerance-diversity-choice." (Struble). As stated before, many critics have different views of postmodernism. One of the most famous critics, David Lodge, has stated a guideline for postmodernist discernment. David Lodge, writing about postmodern fiction identifies five basic postmodern characteristics as contradiction, discontinuity, randomness, excess and short circuit. Educational technologists may initially react to the considering such characteristics within instructional design. Indeed, it might be argued that the five represent the antithesis of a well thought out instructional design system. For an instructional system to tolerate characteristics of contradiction, discontinuity, randomness, excess and short circuit is certainly not a traditional view. So let's take David Lodge's characteristics as a standard and elaborate on those while comparing them to The Real Inspector Hound.

Contradiction: Contradiction in postmodernism is mainly between what's being said and what's being intended. An 'hit you in the head'-obvious example, when one thinks about it, is the Title of the story. "the real inspector Hound" isn't even the real inspector Hound. "Yes - it is me, Albert - who lost his memory and joined the force, rising by merit to the rank of Inspector, his past blotted out - until fate cast him back into the home he left behind, back to the beautiful woman he had brought here as his girlish bride - in short, my darling, my memory has returned and your long wait is over!" (Inspector Hound)

Discontinuity: Discontinuity in postmodernism is usually about a sudden break in the chronology or frame of the story. The most obvious example in The Real Inspector Hound is when the play restarts with the critics Birdboot and Moon as actors. "Birdboot mops his brow with his handkerchief. As he turns, a tennis ball bounces in through the French windows, followed by FELICITY, as before, in tennis outfit. The lighting is as it was, Everything is as it was. It is, let us say, the same moment in time." (Inspector hound). In this fragment the play/story resets, obviously breaking from the chronology of the story thus far.

Randomness: The dictionary describes random as: "Chosen or happening without any particular method, pattern or purpose." (Macmillan) This is actually a