Metaphysics of a Two-Headed Calf (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: StanisławIgnacy Witkiewicz
- First Published: 1962
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Surrealism
- Time of Work: The 1920’s
- Setting: British New Guinea and Australia
- Genres: Drama, Surrealist literature
- Subjects: Freedom, Values, Family or family life, Sex or sexuality, Self, 1920’s, Death or dying, Greed, Cruelty, Identity, Australia or Australians
- Locales: Australia, British New Guinea
Characters Discussed
Patricianello (pah-TREE-chee- ah-NEHL-loh), the sixteen-year-old son of Lady Leocadia Clay. Although his name implies that he is a little lordling, Patricianello is also the calf of the play’s title. He attempts the creation of self in the face of shifting, ambiguous relationships and the instability and uncertainty of colonialism in the tropics. In the first act, he is seen playing with cardboard cubes on the floor while dressed in red tights. He is told to dress properly. In each succeeding act, he is more and more constricted by convention....
[The entire page is 1038 words long]
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