La défaillance du langage dans La Leçon de Ionesco
The Language Failure in Ionesco’s “The Lesson”

Summary/Abstract: Ionesco’s attempt throughout his theatrical works is that of vindicating the spoken word and thus of overcoming the tragedy of language. The failure of language is obvious both in The Bald Soprano and in The Lesson: the characters do not communicate with each other or they encounter real communication difficulties, since they have nothing to say, thus living with painful intensity a monstruous event which manifests itself within the discourse, practically within its lack of meaning. The Lesson is but a pretext, the play deals with the problem of language, the tragedy of language which loses its essential function: that of communication.

• Details
• Contents