THE PINTERESQUE ELEMENTS IN KAZUO ISHIGURO'S “A FAMILY SUPPER”

Year 2021, Volume: 61 Issue: 1, 487 - 502, 24.06.2021

Seda Coşar Çelik

https://doi.org/10.33171/dtcfjournal.2021.61.1.20

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the Pinteresque elements in Kazuo Ishiguro's short
story titled “A Family Supper” (1982). The emphasis will be on the implications of the
Pinteresque as a mood, because today the word is not only a theatrical term but also an
adjective in the Online Oxford English Dictionary. As a theatrical term, the Pinteresque can
plainly be explained as a set of features which recur in Harold Pinter's plays. Namely,
ambiguity of the human condition, uncertainty of the past, use of evasive language, and
halting dialogues that are lled with silences and pauses constitute what came to be
known as the Pinteresque. The overall feeling in a Pinteresque atmosphere is very tense,
strained, and precarious. Additionally, as an adjective, the Pinteresque can perfectly
portray such precarious moments in the everyday life of human beings. That is, just as a
play or a movie can be Pinteresque, so can a moment in human life. In short, this article
treats the term the Pinteresque as an adjective and argues that implicit feeling of menace,
ambiguity of the past, present and future, unspoken conflicts and wounds, triviality of the
conversation, use of evasive language and frequent silences in Kazuo Ishiguro's “A Family
Supper” create a Pinteresque atmosphere.

Keywords

Pinteresque;, Harold Pinter, Kazuo Ishiguro, “A Family Supper”

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